


ROUGE

by lourryalrightee



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: BDSM, Dom Harry, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Okay just read it is good i promise, Past Abuse, Police Officer Harry, Slow Burn, Sub Louis, basically harry trying to save louis who claims he is okay, harry is the warden louis is the wrongly accused prisoner, he is not, louis was abused he is innocent, prison fic, why did i upload this mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 16:13:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 117,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6016096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lourryalrightee/pseuds/lourryalrightee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Submissive Louis Tomlinson is a misjudged criminal who is accused of beating his own Dominant until unconciousness. But the truth is not like that. In fact, Louis has been a victim of severe abuse by his Dom, he only fought back to defend his own life. One could imagine how many times the Dom has raped the Sub, how many scars from canes and whips are there to litter across his body, how many times his flesh has been split open, how many nightmares he has endured that leaves him lose all hope in life.</p><p>Sent to the BDSM prison for "behavioural correction", Louis meets the warden there, Dominant Harry Styles. Dominant above all Dominants, Harry is cold and harsh on the outside, but secretly a lonely man in the inside.</p><p>Louis supposes he could find his solace here in prison, a time for his scars to heal, both physical and mental ones. But what if Harry starts befriending the Sub, seeing through all the false accusations? What if Harry wants to seek justice? Does Louis even want his name cleared anyways? But the most important question is,</p><p>Will Harry be able to give Louis the love he deserves?</p><p>If only Louis could tell him the truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlueCornaline](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueCornaline/gifts).



>   
> hiiiii welcome to my fic :D thanks for stopping here to read it
> 
> So right, this story is a mess and will be all over the place, at least until I'm sure I know how to write to master such a grand idea. Intro is here for you for the moment.
> 
> As much as I'm not yet satisfied with what I've written, I just decide to upload this nevertheless, please handle it with care with my fragile heart okay.
> 
> This story is unlike every other BDSM fic (or prison fic) you'll read, the romance pace is slow, because you gotta give poor Louis time. But when it comes, it'll bloom much more stronger than expected. Difficult fic with dark elements, this is. Enjoy :)
> 
> Anyways, it all starts with prison....

i.

 

 _The night is young. The hill is still damp from the all rain that has been going on non-stop for the past few days. Occasional wind breezes across the area, moving the tree branches around to pierce through the quietness. Behind the bushes, a small path leads to somewhere deep inside the hill, indicating_ their _meeting place._

_It is secret, meaning no one will ever come to this place, no one could ever find out what the men are doing._

_The Dominant parks his car and gets out of it. His partner hasn’t shown up yet. He glances at the watch on his wrist, then crosses his arms against his broad chest and wait impatiently. His partner, late again. The man fishes a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his trenchcoat, lights it, and sucks in the smoke._

_It was a few puffs later than he sees the other man, in the same kind of trenchcoat but with his hair styled into a curled fringe, rushing to him._

_“Sorry for being late.” The newcomer hurries to say._

_The former man drops the cigarette butt on his hand to the ground, and crushes it shut with his feet. He looks ahead, and flicks his wrist._

_“The money?”_

_A heavy stack of money bills wrapped in a big envelope drops on his awaiting hand. He opens the package and checks it, his fingers tracing their sharp edges. £500 million, no more, no less._

_A smirk creeps up the corner of his lips, for the first time in the night. “Great.”_

_“It’s been a while since you send your Subs, what’s for the delay?”_

_The other man pockets the bills, and shakes his head lightly, “Lately they’ve become a tad too bratty, and I want to train them to their bests. Besides I’ve got a group of newbies, so I have to tend to them as well.”_  

_“How about your own sub? Isn’t he lovely too, from what you said?”_

_The man flashes his partner a hard look, pursing his lips and swallows. “I believe he isn’t trained well enough. Look, he gave me this scratch here on my forearm this morning. But if I let him go someday, he’ll be worth a lot of money.”_

_It isn’t half lie, sure he has to train his Sub, but for different reasons._

_“I’m glad that you agreed to participate in this little project of mine again, sir. You really brings in a lot of money.”_

_There is a cold chuckle. “Well, I was expecting you to make my poor lonely mansion into a dungeon in the first place. You get what you want, and I get mine. And we share the money. Isn’t it how it works?”_

_“I suppose it is_ ㄧ _” His reply is cut short when the former man holds up a finger, signalling for them to silence. They hold in their breaths simultaneously for a moment. Then he asks again, this time in a whisper, “What’s happenin’?”_

_“Nah,” the man shrugs, still glancing around dubiously, “Just thought I heard something... Now don’t you have to go home and tend to your own Sub? Go now.”_

_A grin slowly formed on the opposite man’s face at the mention of his own Submissive. “Right, sure, he’s probably waiting for me as well.”_

_The former nods at him and watches him go, taking another secret passage off the hill. He gets into his own car and starts the engine, driving out of the woods._

_What he fails to notice, is that there is a camera light flashing at his liscence plate from behind. And also, the person holding up the camera._

 

_ii._

_When the Dominant returns home, the first thing he does is to trudge upstairs to find his Submissive. He cannot go too long without a good fuck. He wonders what the Sub is up to._

_When he enters the room, his Sub is there, holding a worn-up in his dainty hands. The Dom smirks to himself, then carefully approaches the Sub, plucking the book out from his hands and throws it across the room, earning a startled cry from the lad._

_The Submissive immediately looks up at his master, panic filling in his eyes. He gasps loudly, "M-Master? I didn't know you'll be back t-this early."_

_There is a tremble to his voice, in which his master grunts in reply. "Of course you wouldn't know,_ Tomlinson _." He pushes at the Sub's shoulders roughly, sending him flying backwards into the makeshift mattress beneath him. Tears immediately well up his cerulean blue eyes._

_"D-Don't hurt me." He whispers brokenly._

_"Now don't make a sound or I_ will _hurt you." The stronger man threatens, one hand going up to cover the boy's nose and mouth and another hand reaching down to grab at his prick. The Submissive whines against his master's palm, starting to kick his legs around in an attempt to get out from whatever fate he is going to face. The latter raises his hand which is currently palming the boy through his jeans and slaps down harshly, making the boy nearly black out for a second._

 _"How about you don't fight me, or I will slice your throat open." The Dominant mumbles in his Sub's ears, then finally release the tight_ _hold he has on his nose. The younger boy gasps for air at once, shutting his eyelids tight, as if it could bring him out of this hellhole._

_But the Dom yanks the boy's jeans down instead, chucking to himself when he sees the perfectly shaved, though soft, cock lying to the left. He thumbs at the head of it, making the Sub shudder. Said boy bites down onto his own bottom lip, willing himself not to let the tears slip past: his master hates seeing tears and would beat him up for it even harder._

_"C'mon, get hard for me now." Master mutters under his breath, toying with the member in his hands. He then takes off his own pants, revealing his own angry and hard cock. Wasting no time, he smacks the lad's legs open and pushes it into the dry, slightly split hole._

_The Submissive screams out in protest, trying to crawl backwards. But his master is not letting him._

_"Please, no, please stop! It_ hurts _!"_

 _The man ignores it and continues to shove his cock repeatedly in and out the used hole, so hard that it almost draw blood. The younger boy moans out loudly in pain._  

 _"No, please, red, master,_ red _, please stop!" Tears stream down his face, getting all over the place. He sobs out loudly._

 _The monster hands leave his bottom for a while, only to smack him in the face._  

 _"Weak as fuck." Is spat right in his face._  

_Louis could only look up through the fuzzy, blurry vision, he's too tired and hurt, he couldn't fight back, the only thing he could do is to lay there and wait for all of these to be over, so he could pick up his own broken pieces only to have them shattered again few hours later. He wanted to fight back, but the only time he does, would means he's asking for death himself._

 

 _iii._  

 _So Louis waits. He waits, he waits and he waits._  

_The lights in the courtroom are dim, people are murmuring softly but loud at the same time, pointing their fingers at him. All eyes are on him, all hungry, eerie, lustful, greedy, disgusted looks. He doesn’t care, for he knows he would be freed eventually. His master is here too, his sweet evil master, the master and also monster of all troubles and nightmares on earth._

_His master is talking animatedly, his arms flying up in the air. His mouth is moving, but the words supposed to be pouring out of it seems like nothing but faded gibberish to the boy._  

_Louis is kept in a cell at the back of the courtroom. A small held-up cell with bars that scraped of jet black paint falling off. His breathing fast: he is never a fan of small, closed off space. He traces at the lone trails of the broken blotches of grey, accidentally flexing his sprained ribs. An ugly jab of sharp pain shoots up, still hurting from where it was nearly broken months ago. Louis tries to ignore the pain._

_Swallowing with difficulty and with a shake of his head, the boy in clothing so thin that are almost transparent to his tan skin tries to shake off all the horrible, nerve-wrecking memories that seem to clutter at his mind twentyfour-seven. But no matter which route he takes, what measures he carries out, those pictures, those silent movies that speaks with so much volume never were shielded from him._  

He is trying to get away from his own problems. And this is his only way out. 

_So instead, he sits back in the chair and waits, again. He peeks through the bars into the room. His vision is contaminated. He shrinks in himself when his master’s eyes would meet his, gaze burning with white hot rage._

He doesn't care anymore. He really doesn’t.

_"Louis Tomlinson." he hears his name being called._

_He looks up and sees as the judge walks in, fixing the wig on his head. The boy raises a lazy hand, halting at where it would pull at his muscles and hurt._  

 _The judge offers him a momentary curt nod, "You're accused of and sued by Dominant Blue Jones for physically harming him until hospitalization. And since you chose not to stand for a defence statement, do you plead guilty?"_  

 _Louis sweeps his gaze across the courtroom, avoiding the jury and faltering at his Dominant’s. He shivers at the intensity of hate in those eyes, those eyes when all those years ago he thought he could fall in love with. Rather, Louis reminds himself of the unstoppable pain, the red drops of his own blood that would swim out of his chamber, all the choking punches, bruises, cuts that litter across his body, marking him up in a way where lovebites should have been for everyone else._  

You can do this, _he tells himself,_ say the word and you’ll be free. He can’t hurt you anymore. 

 _"Yes, I plead guilty, your honour."_  

_The old man hums in approval and nods, then speaks, "Well then, it seems there's nothing left to be said. The Submissive has already voluntarily pleaded guilty, and I s’ppose there is enough evidence in the case — " he turns to the group of people sitting in a line on his right, "Jury, what is your decision?"_

_The leader of the group looks down at the paper in his hands for a split second, before announcing in a voice that booms across the whole room, and blossom flowers into Louis’ heart._  

 _“On the case 15520/4 of harming Dominant Blue Jones until hospitalization, we concur Submissive Louis Tomlinson guilty."_  

 _"Thank you jury.” The judge clears his voice and opens a manila file on the table, as he concludes, “As clear as the evidence shown in this courtroom, and Submissive Louis Tomlinson's pleaded guilty, I now pronounce Mr. Tomlinson convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Mr. Tomlinson will be stripped off his status of Submissive under Dominant Blue Jones, and would be sent to Lennox Prison for the BDSM Criminals for 14 months, effective today. Should there be no further statements, I now announce case 15520/4 closed."_  

_Murmurs immediately re-surface again that the judge has to hit his block with the gavel. The boy watches on with dull eyes as an officer open the lock on the gate to his temporary cell. Two strong arms grope at his handcuffed ones as he is hauled off to his feet. He doesn't put up a fight — he doesn't have to. More like, he is a bit too excited to be let out of this place he calls a hellhole. He follows the two officers out of the courtroom, out of the building, and onto a big van which windows are blocked with black curtains. He carefully climbs onto it and waits to be driven to where he supposes, the prison._

_With a finger he lifts open the corner of the curtain, just when his former-Dominant happens to walk past the van. The still-bandaged man looks up and shoots him a look with so much venom, but not without — and if Louis is correct — a timid lace of fear in his eyes. The Submissive throws back with a smirk of victory. His chest is filled with toxic gasps of air that expands with every time he has hold back his anger for his master: he hopes this is truly the last time. And then he's told to put down the curtain._  

 _After a long hours’ drive, the van finally stops. Louis wakes groggily, the door opens as strong arms lifts him up. He steps out of the car and what faces him is a large open area and an enormous building._ Lennox Prison _, it says on the sign. Louis waits again for the gate to be opened, then he's brought through the front door. He counted the steps, forty-two steps till the end._  

 _"Go straight to the reception. There should be an officer there to give you directions. Good luck, kid." One of the burly men instructs, he is pushed into the building._  

_“Oh, and take this too.” The man hands Louis a piece of paper. The boy nods and tries putting up a small smile which is barely a tug at the lips._

_He looks up at the sky for one last time, the clouds white-washing off the hateful blotches underneath. Yeah, this is it, he thinks to himself, this is the end of everything, and start of something._

  
It’s over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go for a lil bit of background information.
> 
> hit me up on tumblr [lourryalrightee](http://lourryalrightee.tumblr.com)


	2. Solace (Part 1.1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  let's dive in ;) my chapters would tend to be very long so um, buckle up?
> 
> p.s. 11/5/2017 : ^^ thank you for all your support!!

Taking a step forward into the large building, Louis’ skin chilled a bit when the gates behind him close with a squeak and a loud thud. Taking a deep breath, he looks around the place — in front of him is a long meandering corridor, with walls painted grey and tubes of fluorescent light hanging off the ceiling. The paint on the walls are chipping off, the metal bars rusting.

This place looks old, but at least decent. So bracing himself, Louis tentatively walks into the corridor, assuming this will be the path leading to the reception. The mere slippers on his feet clatter against the floor.

He soon reaches the end of the hallway. Turning right, because it's the only path he sees, he walks into a room where a booth is set in the centre. It is a long bench with almost all of its free space occupied by piles paper, an old-fashioned telephone perched on the side.

There is an officer seated behind the desk, if not hidden, behind all the clutters. He’s looking down on his lap, munching away on a sandwich. Louis approaches him and shifts between the balls on his feet for an awkward moment. He coughs lightly to get the officer out of his own world.

The officer snaps his head up to the sound, before his gaze settles on Louis. He has hair as light as platinum peeking from beneath his cap. The officer seems fairly young, looking barely older than Louis himself, at most by a few years. His blonde hair is apparently bleached, with blue eyes lighter than the sky and pale face which makes them stand out.

One look at him Louis could tell he is also a Submissive, and he keeps this in mind.

Much to Louis’ surprise, the officer smiles up at him. Or maybe it’s because Louis looks too worn out, anyways. “New here?”

Louis nods.

“Well then,” The smile on the officer’s face only spreads wider as he pushes himself off the chair and holds out a generous hand, “I’m officer Horan and I wander around the cells. But you can call me Niall, everyone does that and it doesn't matter.”

That triggers an amused chuckle out of Louis. Without further words, he extends a hand to shake the officer’s — Niall’s.

“And I believe you have your paper with you?” The officer then asks.

At the words, Louis is suddenly aware of the paper in his hands again. He quickly retrieves it and turns it over to Niall, who takes it, and examines the codes printed on it. He starts rummaging through the stack of thick files on the desk, pulling out one of the many manilla folders. He checks whatever there is inside according to the paper he has in hand, looking up at Louis a couple of times.

“15524. That’s your ID in here.” The man reads out loud, “Louis William Tomlinson, right?”

Louis nods at the confirmation of his name. Niall hums in approval and quietly excuses himself. He turns to press a button on the walkie-talkie that is attached to the neck of his uniform, waiting for it as it gets connected with the other side. And when it does. he speaks into it.

“Sir? — Yeah, he's arrived — Yes, the new inmate — Huh? Great, yeah, I’ll bring him over now.”

Niall scribbles something down onto a piece of document in the file, before ending the call. He pushes himself away from the table and walks towards Louis’ side, picking up an empty coffee mug in the process. He gestures Louis.

“Great, now come with me.”

Louis momentarily worries about how could the reception be left unattended. But then he thinks of the nevertheless. So, he bows his head and doesn’t mutter a word, lest it would cause him trouble with it rolled through _that_ tongue of his, _even though_ he’s in prison now. He lets the officer leads him out of the reception centre, turning into another long hallway. The end of Niall’s boots cackles loudly, a faint echo bouncing off the narrow walls. Louis chews at the inside of his cheeks.

Niall stops them when another gate comes into sight. He presses a button that is attached to the wall besides him and tells Louis to wait for a bit.

They stand in silence in front of the locked door. Louis looks up at the officer beside him through his eyelashes — Submissive though he seems, there is a natural trace of authority radiating off his body, with his slightly puffed out chest and calm features. Louis stiffens a bit. He hasn't been around for very long, but he knows enough of how to figure people out, from all those years of practice.

Niall seems to notice the sudden change of demeanour though. Louis is still there lost in his thoughts when he feels an arm wrapping around his bony shoulders, squeezing at his biceps. He almost flinches, but restrains himself. He whips his head around and discovers it’s indeed Niall, who is looking down at him with a gentle smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You look nervous,” the blonde explains, murmuring into his ears, “but trust me, it’ll be okay. Really. Here you're gonna be kept good, fed well, then you’re gon’ be let out before you know it. In fact, it's more of a school than prison here, especially on the Submissive wing. So, no worries.”

Louis doesn't reply.

Nevertheless, Niall pats on the small of Louis’ back twice and grins a smile of reassurance before releasing the boy. _He’s nicer than I thought for an officer_ , Louis thinks, as he finds himself falling into the calming tone in Niall’s promise and begins to believe in his words. So he returns a tight smile and nods.

Then Niall seems to be muttering something under his breath, which sounds suspiciously like, “You seem very obedient for all I observed, I wonder why are you sent here?”

“Huh?” Not sure if he heard correctly, Louis asks.

“Oh.” Niall looks away from him again with a glint in his eyes, “Um, nothing, ha.”

Louis is just about to say something when the door in front of them is opened. Niall shrugs at him as if to tell him to forget about whatever he has said. He then leads the both of them through the gate, locking it again behind Louis.

“Could you wait here for a bit?”

The officer has run off before the boy even has a chance to reply. So Louis waits again — it seems waiting is the only thing he has been doing lately. He peeks around the hallway, it looks exactly like the one he has just walked through, except for some extra doors on the side that are dinting into the walls.

Niall disappears into one of them. Not a second later, he peeks out of it and beckons Louis into the room too. There is a few other people in it, but in different uniforms, and some computers.

“We’re gonna do a general check of your health status and body. It is simple and please just do as the doctors instruct you.” Niall says, and with a nod he leaves to go through another small door that is embedded on the side.

The process is quick, with a few flicks of his nipples and earlobes, checking the inside of his mouth and going through his hair. After an awkward moment of flashing his genitals and hurriedly tucking it back into his pants, the doctors are already printing some documents from the computer and as if on cue, Niall also appears at the door with something in his hands. It is a pile of prison uniforms, which surely is for when he's staying in the prison.

He places the pile onto Louis’ hands, “Take it now, but put it on after you've settled in your cell.”

They left the small room and continues to walk. The small trip round the bends carries on. After a few turns, and passing some more mysterious rooms, they arrive at a large area where many benches and tables are placed. It seems like an area for people to social about, as some inmates are chattering loudly among themselves and others doing their own work. There are also a few of officers standing at the back of the room, monitoring the people. Louis supposes this is the area where he will be let out in the day.

However, a sudden piercing slap blasts across the room, closely followed by a shrill cry. Louis winces a bit at intensity of the sound and lets out a small gasp. His eyes immediately begins to look for the origin for the horrible sound.

Niall sighs at the halting of their steps and stops too. He roams his gaze around the room for a split second, before re-pressing a hand on Louis’ back to urge him on. Louis moves along even though he is still recovering from shock.

“Don't worry,” A silky voice says into his right ear, “It’s just lil’ Josh again. That boy never learns his lessons, that’s why he gets spanked this often. Sometimes we can be quite stubborn, ya know?”

“You guys do _spankings_ here?” Louis frowns and asks fearfully, uncertainty clear in his tone.

“Oh. Nah.” Niall chuckles again, “At least not frequently. Spanking is almost the highest form of punishment here, and usually used only if you have really behaved very badly. For punishments, they’re mostly just isolation, doing chores, or no dinner. And of course, never without a long talk with our head officer afterwards.”

Niall finishes his sentence with a grimace. A dab of amusement picks up in Louis' heart, he asks, “The head officer?”

“Well _he_ is not the problem, the problem is that he talks incredibly slow and low. His lectures are hard to endure, I mean, imagine sitting for an hour alone with the warden. I remember that one time when me and – ” He stops himself suddenly, “I mean - Anyways, he’s getting old now, but still hasn’t had a Sub. Still, he’s actually quite cool if you get to know him more. And in fact I really shouldn’t expose our warden like that.”

Louis hums in response. They have reached the core of the prison now, where more rooms and tables that are of colours of the blue hydrangea lie around the place. Some more officers are standing guard in the corners, looking bored. some of them greet with Niall when they pass them. The hall is very spacious, with three long bench lining up evenly, occupying the space. They are heading further in, and now Louis could see the cells. Individual cells line up on either sides, leaving the middle hallway clear.

They pass them. Louis peers through the bars blocking the cell rooms, some Submissives are either listening to the radio or sleeping. Louis briefly wonders if he could spend most of his free time away reading, catching on every book that he didn’t get to read the past few years.

At the end of it comes a large, spiralling staircase which connects to the balcony of the second floor. It is of nearly the same design as the first, with cells littering across, morphing into the walls. Footsteps take the two man off the ground and ascend to the second, as Niall pulls him along and approaches a room on the side which door is not bound by bars.

“I’ll bring you to your cell later,” Niall explains the unasked questions, “Now you’ll go in for a briefing given from the warden, the same person who I’ve talked about just now.”

The blonde officer opens the door for Louis. The younger boy steps inside the room, and is immediately greeted by quite of a sight, his breath almost faltering.

The man sitting in the desk has a head of chocolate curls, they seem very soft and casually brushed back, and Louis almost has an urge to touch them just to see how soft  they would feel in his hands. He has a prominent jawline and he looks young, too young to be a warden. However, underneath the white uniform he’s wearing, Louis could feel the strong sense of Dominance radiating off his whole build.

This must be the _warden_.

 

>>>><

Harry Styles looks up from his desk, as the door to his office clicks open. He takes one last look of the file of a particularly difficult Dominant in his hands, before shifting his whole attention to the person who walked in, and he almost have to hold back a gasp.

The person standing in front of him is so...so beautiful. His body is slim, and height no taller than 5’4, with hands obediently tangled in front of him. Caramel coloured hair is swept across his forehead, like feathers tenderly blown off by the sea wind, and his face represents so much youth and femininity. His cheekbones sharp cut and lips timidly bitten raw. He looks so soft, like you could hold him to you chest and cradled him like a doll.

However, his eyes say otherwise. They're strong, and hold an emotion that even Harry cannot quite comprehend yet. Those eyes are blue, very blue, almost turquoise. They also look so deep, so wise. Harry thinks maybe he's being hypnotized by them, so much that he almost forgets where he is now.

But Harry is at _work_ , and this stranger is certainly just another new _inmate_. So Harry manages to push back any inappropriate thoughts to the back of his head, and swallows hard. Back to what he is supposed to be doing, he picks up another manila file that is placed on his desk, assuming it is of the boy standing in front of him.

Clearing his throat loudly, he reads the name on it. _Louis._

“So, Louis Tomlinson, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Now the man almost chokes on his own spit. Not only does the lad have a nice look, but also does he has a pretty voice. High-pitched, yet gentle and luring. Peculiar, but a sure melody to the eardrums.

Yet, reminding himself of his position, the officer quickly re-composes and lets his gaze drop back to the document, lest the Submissive would see the momentary lust on his face.

He quickly scans through the record, his brows turning into a frown when he sees the bold line which says " _Causing Actual Bodily Harm on Dominant_ ". Harry briefly wonders, how could someone looks and sounds so soft be the same person who would exert violence on own Dominant?

But Lennox Prison is a place where you can never judge a book by its cover, and not only its cover but also what is inside. Harry learns this from dealing in the Dominant Wing. He raises his head back up, only to find the Submissive already looking at him with eyes like crystal, clear with curiosity and deed interest. Once the Submissive discovers he's being stared at, he quickly averts his eyes.

Harry nods at him.

"I'm Harry Styles, the warden of Lennox House. As you may know I'm in charge of both the Submissive Wing and the Dominant Wing, although my colleague, who is the Vice Warden is directly in charge of the Submissive Wing instead of me. You'll be addressing me as either 'Officer Styles' or simply 'Sir'. This is the foremost rule in this prison, and I hope you can keep this in mind."

Louis replies with a small, "Yes Sir.", programming the new information into his mind. 

"So, I hope you know what for and why you're here. No one is going to prison just for the sake of it or just to be locked up, we put you all in here only want you to learn, to learn to be a better person than you were before. Think of here as a school, after you've re-learnt everything you can be let out. Behave, and I'm sure your days here will go by very easily."

The officer's voice is indeed low, and the strictness behind it is clear. Thus Louis finds himself slightly bowing and accepting the orders like he's naturally made to do it. Maybe that's because Harry is a Dom himself.

"Well," Harry continues, "Of course there would be a set of rules for you, and the same goes for everyone in this cell. Like I've mentioned just now, the first rule is to always refer us as 'Sir' or 'Officer', as in my case, 'Officer Styles'. This shouldn't be too hard. Second, always listen to our orders and do as what you're told. Failure to do so and without a valid reason will receive punishments as we see fit. Third, no back talking. We want you guys to learn a proper manner. Therefore, you can negotiate, but no back talking. Fourth, no sexual intercourse between cellmates are allowed, the case goes the same for between prison guard and prisoners. This is in fact against the law and is not what a simple punishment can tackle. Fifth, everyday at 8:30 pm there will be a session of meditation. All Submissive should sit in the Submissive position for half an hour to reflect about the day. Think of this as a kind of nurturing and you’ll know more once you attend the session. That's all for the rules for now. Is there anything you would like to clarify?"

Harry finishes, looking at Louis expectantly. Louis quickly mutters, "No."

"No, _what_?" The officer raises an eyebrow.

A light blush of embarrassment fires up Louis' cheeks, as he replies again accordingly. "No, Sir, I understand. Sorry, Sir."

"Good." The man concludes. "And if you have broken a rule or did anything disrespectful to our prison guards or your cellmates, you'll be given a punishment, which of course we certainly would want to give out as least as possible. But those punishment would either be no dinner, isolation, or extra workouts. Remember that we're only giving you these simple rules as a start of re-shaping your views of the role as a Submissive, we only want peace. I won't disagree that I'm a very strict warden, but that's only because we want all of the cellmates to strive for improvement on their being." Harry explains, locking his eyes with the Submissive.

"Um, O-Officer?" Louis speaks in a squeak. He doesn't want to speak too much to cause himself unnecessary trouble. but he has to ask, "I seem to have heard some spanking going on as punishment?"

"Oh, about that." Harry hums in response, pursing his lips in thought, "Normally we only gives out spankings under rare circumstances. Either the Submissive has done an extremely wrong deed or has committed them more than several times without improvement, there certainly will be warnings and have to be approved by us before spankings would be given out. Which reminds me, there should be a few documents that you have to fill in, about your hard and soft limits as well as safe words. There should also be a time table of the daily routine in prison, which is supposed to be stuck to the wall of your cell. If you fail to follow it you will receive extra chores as punishment. If you have any questions you can ask Niall, as in Officer Horan. Is that okay?"

Louis merely nods.

"Answer in words, Tomlinson." There is a frown in Harry's tone, "This is the basics. Doms would like their Subs to be responsive."

Louis bites down at his bottom, well, that doesn't seem very true in his case for the past years. But nevertheless, he replies, "Yes, Sir, I have no questions."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I soon will have to be in the Dominant Wing, therefore your briefing will just end here. Settle down and change into prison wear. Do check the timetable closely as well." The man says, standing up from the table. Louis looks up and his eyes widen at the height of the officer, who is nearly a head taller. But Louis himself is quite vertically-challenged for a male.

“Oh, and one last rule, Louis,” Louis nods, “Don't go to the Dominant Wing at all cost.”

Louis replies obediently with a small “Yes Sir”, then Harry is already packing a handgun in its holster.

“Officer Horan will escort you out.” Harry says. As if on cue, there is a knock at the door almost immediately. It opens and reveals Niall, who flashes a smile at Louis and motions him to step out of the room. Louis turns around and gives a small bow before following Niall out.

“Your cell is no. 28,” The officer tells him once they're out of the office, “I suppose Harry has already mentioned this, but you will receive a timetable for your routine and schedule. Every morning you have to be ready for breakfast at 7am and be in bed at 9:30pm. There will be daily necessities placed in your cell, and for the time being you'll stay in a single cell.”

Louis nods along to the instructions, following closely to Niall’s footsteps. Soon enough, they reach his supposed cell and Niall plucks out a chain of keys from the loop of his belt, unlocking the door.

The cell is, of course, as simple as it can be. There is a small bed placed close to the walls, which are painted white like sunshine, with its sheets and pillow the same shade too. The room is surprisingly much more spacious than Louis has imagined. Right next to the bed is a small, delicate bedside table with a tiny lamp placed on. Louis looks to the right, there stuck into the wall is a humble sink, perched with an orange plastic mug and a toothbrush.

These seem decent enough.

On the left is a board, pinned on it is two piece of documents. Louis supposes they are the said timetables, with a small intake of breath Louis allows his eyes to linger on the _soft_ blanket, he bets those would feel like _marshmallow touches_ to his chin.

Niall hands him an envelope. “So here are the documents you have to read and fill in. When you’ve finished you can just hand them back to me. You could mostly find me wandering around, shouldn’t be too hard. Right now it’s noon, so you’re allowed out of your cell, figure out the place and what not. The library is open, or you can go chill in the social area, which we’ve passed through not long ago. However, remember to stay in the Submissive Wing, don’t meander too much.”

Louis replies with what he should, politely, to which Niall returns with a pleased smile. Until something pops up from his mind and he decides whether to ask or not. Louis reckons he probably has a fault of using his words too much, not filtering stuffs enough, and he definitely has quite of a mouth. But then nothing could hurt much, so he turns to the officer again.

“Why is the Dominant Wing bound from us?”

Niall gives him a look. He steps closer, hands reaching up to fixes at the pins on the board which obviously doesn’t have to be fixed.

“You certainly are a curious one, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been told to bite my tongue, but my mouth does defy from my brain a lot.” Louis looks down again, blushing slightly.

To his surprise, Niall heaves a sigh, and satisfy Louis’ wonder with, “The Dominant Wing, as it is called, is apparently for Dominants. Lennox Prison is...definitely for Doms and Subs who have broken the BDSM laws. Submissives like us, not to offend, but no matter how hard we break the law there are not much to be broken. The Submissive Wing is very, very peaceful, comparing to the other side. The Dominants are...definitely here for reasons more knees-numbing than you could imagine. Most are here for abuse.”

Louis’ palms twitches behind him at the word, _abuse_. He breathes in slowly, but sure is attempting to suck all the air in his lungs, his body feels as if it’s been run through with utter electricity, the kind that could blind you with its delirious shock. The boy tries not to show, and not to bite at his lips. Sweat, cold as it could be, drains at his beating veins, thundering, sending strikes to his heart.

His brain speeding up, and his blinking stuttering: “ _Abuse_?”

“Yeah,” Niall shrugs, “or rape.” Then he does turn back to Louis. “It’s very dangerous there, ‘cause you never know what would happen, some of them may suddenly turn mad when they see a Submissive. My own Dominant, Zayn, who is also the Vice Warden, don’t even let me go there, even though I’m an officer too.

“ _Harry_. Harry is in charge of those Doms. He seems to have done a good job, he’s kinda…” Niall cocks his head to a side and chuckles, “the Dom above all Doms?”

Louis’ mouth falls open slightly: from what Officer Horan says, going to the Dom Wing would seem like an absolute nightmare. And Officer Styles...He guards such violent Doms? Before Louis could say anything, someone in the hallway is already calling for Niall.

Niall whips around to mouth something to that person, gesturing to Louis again, "Speaking of the devil, that'll be Zayn, Officer Malik. If you'd excuse me."

Louis nods immediately, seeing Niall go.

Once the officer left, Louis lets himself falls face-first into the mattress. The smell of fresh disinfectant swim up his nostrils as he breathes in sharp, and strange though it might seem, Louis likes it. He allows the smell to take over him, lets it wash away the deepest of filthiest dirt in his veins, that are contaminated and corrupted by violence and desperation, it was so dark there. Louis breathes out slowly, moving his face out of the slightly fluffy pillow lest he would choke. The cover does feel white and smooth. He kicks the plastic slippers off his feet and sits up, admiring his surroundings. This place is small, yet enough for him. It might sound so low to him a few years ago, but right now he is indeed here finding his long lost solace and security, in a god-forsaking _prison_ , the place for the sinned, yet daisy fresh minds.

He slowly changes into the orange prison clothes that he is offered, dragging the process. Now the warden definitely has a thing for the colour red, for the clothes are red and so are the mugs and the ends of the toothbrush. Yet the dainty bed-side table is in a shade of soft navy blue. Very colourful, Louis would say. He opens one of the drawers of the cupboard, discovering that there were already a few uniforms in them. He shuts the cupboard with a small click and sighs, turning to swing his legs at the edge of the mattress, letting his feet to slightly over above the concrete.

And then he falls back onto the small bed, giving one last glance to the white ceiling without the usual blotches of falling pieces which he knows he’ll slowly get used to, and closes his eyes.

 

  
  
  
Louis wakes the next day to a series of loud noises of itching buzz that keep blaring in his ears. Groggily, he flutters open his eyes, which are also almost immediately blinded by the rays of sunlight shining out from the window, casting a layer of heat on the mattress. _I should have closed the blinds_ is his first thought after mentally groaning at the brightness, _but wait —_ since when does his room at the mansion have a window?

So, re-opening his eyes, Louis flings his arms around to feel for the radio on the bed-side cupboard which is programmed with an alarm system, slamming it off. He feels around the surface he's sleeping on, but he feels nothing but cold, yet soft covers, which is not a normal occurrence, usually only after he's done a particular good thing, for he's usually only allowed to sleep on the ground...

Louis proceeds to sit up and raises a fist to tiredly rub at his eyes to get rid of the sleepiness, releasing a small yawn in the process. Then, he stills, glancing around his surroundings. The room he is in, is painted in a uniform shade of white, with minimalist furniture around the corners. At one end, a sink is attached, extended from the small cupboard beside it.

This is certainly not his room. Well, not his old one at least. Which Louis is in fact very thankful for.

People say the short-lived glory before you wake entirely is the best feeling in the world. It is the feeling of escaping from the harsh reality, and the grown-up, trouble-filled world we're all in. However, Louis would rather be in the reality _now_ than remember anything in the past.

He'd be much better off _stuck_ in prison than go back to the large, glamorous but haunting mansion. The prison is strict, but it is also peaceful. Prison means no intruder. Prison _is_ reality.

So, heaving a sigh of relieve, Louis lets his upper body drops back on the pillow with a thud. He closes his eyes happily, sniffing in fresh air through the small window which is guarded by metal bars. He glances at the mini. radio for the time; 6:15, which means he still have at least 15 minutes to get ready.

Louis jumps off the bed and makes the covers. He didn’t get to study the time-table the night before, so when he’s done, he checks it on where it is stuck on a small board on the wall, while picking up a toothbrush placed on the counter of the sink. There isn’t much events to his daily routine, only breakfast, lunch and dinner, also an half-hour meditation starting from 8:30 every night to 9:00. Then 9:30 is time for lights-out. It’s quite early for Louis’ likings, but he suppose it’s only reasonable.

Louis quickly finishes brushing his teeth then slips into a pair of thin slippers that he found in the drawers, and heads out of the cell.

It'll be his second day in the prison, and his first meal in it. To be honest, Louis isn't too enthusiastic about the quality of the food served, they're mostly cooked by other inmates or chefs that are too tired for this world. But it's better than nothing.

Louis walks up towards the counter where trays of breakfast is served. He takes one they pass him and walks around the canteen, looking for a decent place to sit down and eat. He spots an empty seat on one side of a table, where three tough-looking guys are currently seating. They seem to be friends and are whispering conversations among themselves at the moment. Louis looks around again, but almost every other seats are occupied, so the one opposite of the three lads is his only choice. So he carries his tray and approaches the table, slipping into the seat.

Once he sits down, the three men looks up at him. A blush immediately creeps up at Louis' cheeks. He lowers his head and licks at his lips, reaching out for the cup which is filled with water.

His mouth is almost touching the rim of the cup when the guy on the left smirks at him.

"Looks like we got a pixie here, huh?"

Louis' mouth falls agape.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Then someone speaks. Louis looks to the lad in the middle, the one with hair dyed _bright red_ , "Mikey, you can't just judge someone solely from their appearance. Such rule doesn't exist here, even if this one here looks such like a weak _baby_."

Louis shuts his mouth immediately, his heart thumping. He quickly looks down at his food and chews at the inside of the cheeks. He hears a little snicker from the opposite of him, as heat starts flushing up his face.

“You a newbie here?” Then he heard.

He dares to look up again. It’s the guy on the right. He’s petite too, but his demeanor is much harder and, oh, he got the eyeliners on, and platinum hair.

“Um, yes.” He says, but it sounds more like a squeak to him. He cringes.

The snickers start up again. Louis blushes harder. The guy who has just asked him the question is looking at him intensely, a smirk playing on his lips.

“ _Oooh_ , you’ve got a lot to learn.”

Louis doesn’t know what to reply, so he merely nods.

“Well, what got you here in prison?” The one with the red hair asks.

“Huh?”

The man rolls his eyes, “I mean, what’s your offence, _baby_? Been too bratty that your mistress decide to put you away?”

The two on the side widen their eyes comically at the words, a loud bubble of laughter spurts from their throats, all directed to Louis. Louis wants to shrink even more into himself. The cold chuckles sound like ugly squeals.

Louis frowns, “Uh, I’m gay.”

A collective of “ooh’s” is heard. The petite one winks at the rest of his clique, stage-whispering, “There we have it. Well, kid, aren’t you a real fairy?”

They snort again. A hand grabs at his wrist, Louis flinches away by instinct. But the hand holds on him tighter.

“ _Hey_ , don't be shy, a lot of us here have masters instead of mistresses. But look at this body, huh? You got no muscles? You’ve got a long way to go, babe, until then don’t mess with any of us unless you want to get yourself killed.”

The petite one mimics the action of throwing punches. Louis inhales sharply and glances at the tray in front of him, his appetite suddenly gone.

“Well, Kid, you’re not the only one,” The leader brushes his bangs back and leans forward, prodding at Louis’ face, trailing at the outline of his chin. Louis gasps and sits back, getting out of the position, managed to without falling backwards onto the ground. The guy raises an eyebrow. The hands could still reach him.

“See this face? Such pretty face, must feel good to the touch ― ”

His sentence is cut off by a loud slap that echoes around the room.

The slap pierces through the chatters in the canteen, filling it with silence, and sending chills down Louis’ shoulders. Louis feels as if his skin is crawled by the deafening sound. Another slap is heard, louder than the one before, settling uneasiness in the pit of Louis' stomach. He picks his head up to follow to the origin of the noise. A loud voice spits out a " _fuck you_ ".

The silence doesn't last any longer after that, strangely. Murmurs start up in the room again, people go back to their conversations, as if nothing has happened. Louis lets out a shuddered breath, averting his gaze back to the table.

He finds the guy in the middle lingering his gaze on the direction of the source of the cry, before turning back to him as well. There is a flash of momentary look of fear on his face, but it’s all too fast and Louis thinks if he has imagined it.

The guy chuckles at the mortified look on the Louis’ face.

“Relax, darling, it’s just Josh, he gets these spanking often, so often that I think he and everyone have probably got used to them now.”

“But back to our topic, baby boy.” ― He reaches out to ruffle at Louis’ fringe, which Louis struggles to scoot away from ― “You are a pretty one, right? Everyone loves you, right? Tsk tsk, if only you belonged to us, me and my Dom,” ― He leans forward suddenly. Louis jumps at the unexpectancy and falters. The man widens his eyes and smiles sweetly at Louis, almost too sweet ― “We could train you then sell you. You’ll make hundreds, millions, billions of money. And they’ll be all _ours_ , and everyone would fight to be _yours_. And now I wish we could own you, well, if we’re not in prison.”

“I ― _What?_ ” Louis doesn’t understand. Why are they touching him?

“Don’t you understand, pretty? You’re a fucking weakling, and you’re be such an addition to our business. Don’t you think so too, lads?”

“Of course, he’d be so much fun. Oh look.” The guy, who they called “Mikey”, pushes his fingers into Louis’ hair again, some other foreign hands are touching at his cheeks, pinching it. Louis attempts to turn away, or crouch in to hide away from the attacks.

“Don’t touch me.” He says, distress clear in his voice. If only god knows how much effects these foreign touches have on him.

"Ooh, getting feisty here, aren't we?" Blond guy is snickering.

Louis snaps, "I said don't _touch_ me!"

But it didn’t stop. The guys opposite of him just laugh louder. All those disgusting, gut-wrenching noises are piercing at Louis' heart. He feels like a prey on the run, again, and this should never be happening. No.

His throat contracts. He eyes the cup placed on his tray, which is still filled with water, presumably cold now.

Unfortunately, the leader notices this too. He first lets out a mean chuckle, then Louis watches as the glass being picked up by hands that are not his.

"Oh this?" Red hair guy narrows his eyes at Louis, sparing a glance at the cup now in his right hand, "Don't you even dare, _pretty boy_."

Something flips in Louis' stomach. Suddenly red is all his sees, and he hopes it's as red as the middle guy's hair. Everything becomes blurred as he chokes on the gasp that leave his throat, hitting him back in the chest. It's painful, it's not good. His hand goes to the steaming hot plate of untouched pasta in front of him, and he feels like all he ever wanted is to hurt the people for hurting him, make them all fade away and nothing, nothing would ever bother him again. Hurt them for what they’ve hurt.

He looks up, his breathings are burning with blind rage, his mind fuzzy. Sometimes something is too much for him he doesn't have other ways. He could almost see his _master’s_ face in front of him again.

 _But_.

Another arm grabs at his bicep and all of a sudden he's being hauled off the bench. He looks to the right, blinks. And blinks again. There is a person talking to him, waving his palm in front of him,

All of a sudden Louis sees green instead of red.

"You're insane, you know that?" A wild voice says to his right. Louis breathes in deeply, in and out, trying to calm himself down from the panic.

"Huh?"

"What's got into you? You should never go near _those_ guys." The lad, more of a boy, turns to him now, throwing the group of three behind them with a look of vulgar disgust.

The boy has long, dirty blond and untamed hair, his eyes a shade of grassy green. There is a scruff to his chin, but his eyes are jade green, almost too clear. He flicks his long hair behind his shoulders in a swift motion.

Louis bites his lips,"It — It is only my second day here so I just — Am I not supposed to be near them?"

"Of course not!" The guy says in a hushed voice, then whips around as if to check if someone is eavesdropping, before continuing, "They are very, very bad boys. Mistress says they're bad."

" _Mistress_?" Louis' confusion only grows.

"Well she didn't exactly say that, but I know they will be bad boys for Mistress. Only I can be her good boy. She says I'm her good boy. Aren't I? Am I her good boy?"

Louis furrows his brows again as he cannot follow the topic, he flicks a nervous glance to the group of lads who has previously teased him, but they’re not looking at him anymore. Louis lets out a sigh of relief that he didn’t know he’s holding, and turns back to the green eyed rambling boy.

"Look, thank you so much for getting me away from those guys. And...I believe you’re your mistress’ good boy I guess? If you say so.”

"Yes, I knew it. And only _she_ could claim me. I would give away my whole heart to her, because, won't you too? Everytime I look into her face, it's — it's like it could light a fire inside me. H-Have you ever got that feeling? — "

"Uh — " Louis fidgets, he doesn't know where this is going, so he just plays along. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Yeah, you know it!" The boy finally lets go of his arm, he claps his hands in front of his chest and stares up at the ceiling with a dreamy look, thus continues, "And I'm getting better now. Mistress says I'm gonna get better and be her good boy again. My life purpose is to serve her, I'm gonna be all hers — " His fist suddenly hit the table, making Louis shudder, "She'll be _mine_. We can be perfect for each other."

"Um, okay. You — I hope you succeed, yeah."

"Thank you!" The lad shouts, humping at the bench he's sitting on. Louis jumps slightly, he quickly grabs onto the table for support, "Me and Mistress are gonna be so good together. I think she's gonna come by very soon, although I haven't seen her for a long time."

Louis notices the sudden change of tone in the boy's words. His head is dropped and his shoulders slouching. Louis scoots closer, tentatively, to reach a trembling hand onto the boy’s back.

"Hey, I'm sure your mistress will come by very soon."

"I hope so," One second the boy was still pouting, but the next he's all grinning again. Weird. "Mistress is just so sweet, ya know? No wait you won't know, you haven't meet _my_ mistress, there's no one like her."

Louis shrugs and nods.

The boy keeps on rambling, but none of the words flow into Louis' ears, because far off in the distance, Louis sees another boy being hauled under the arms, almost being dragged across the floor.

Two officers are dragging him, Louis recognizes one as that officer’s, Niall’s, Dom, Officer Malik or something. People turn to look at the boy, as he also looks up them, brown fringe falling all over his eyes.

They catches Louis’ — It’s the same boy who is spanked upon his first day here, and by the looks of it, he is Josh. Josh lingers his gaze on Louis' for a second, then turn away shortly after. He allows himself be pulled along, not caring about his dangly slippers clad feet scraping against the floor.

Louis frowns, to be honest he should feel sympathized for the poor lad, but all he wonders is that if he has been like the lad before, if anyone has tried to take sympathy on him too.

The small commotion is soon over. The boy sitting across Louis begins talking again, Louis barely listening to it.

“ — and I wish Mistress could see how I am now, where I am now. We could have it all, I wish I could see her. I would let her fuck me into stars and galaxies. And, and — ” he gasps loudly and latches enthusiastically on Louis, resembling a young kid, “I love her, don’t you know that? And she must know that because I feel it in my heart. “ Turning away again, he says a bit louder into the room, almost shouting, “ _I love her_ , and she should know that!”

An officer standing in the corner looks up from his newspaper upon the sound of yelling. He waves one of his colleagues over and they strut over to where Louis is sitting. The chubbier one wraps an arm around the struggling boy to steady him, while the other cooperatively hold his wrists together.

"Sorry to disrupt you two, buddy," They tell Louis, "but we think it's time he needs to go."

The lad is by now whining and fighting against the other officer, who then bends down and whispers something into his ears. A fond look immediately appears on his face, Louis assumes the officer has said something related to "Mistress".

With a bit of more struggle, the lad is finally pulled away from his seat. He’s crying, and trying to reach out for Louis. Louis scoots backwards as he watches the shadow becomes smaller and smaller. The boy yelling for his “Mistress”.

Louis watches the scene unfolds, still haven’t thoroughly understand what’s going on. People here in prison are right weird. Sighing and shaking his head, Louis looks over to the table he first sat at, the three bullies have already left their seats, leaving his uneaten food there. With his appetite now gone and food presumably cold, he walks over and picks up the tray. He turns to the bin next to the corner, throwing them in.

"Hey, you’re not finishing that?" A voice speaks to his right.

Louis whips around only to discover that it is Niall, who is leaning against the wall with a  paper cup in his hands. He gives a shrug to the question..

"Nah, I got caught up. The food got cold anyways."

Niall nods and humsgesturing, "Well, how's your second day here? I saw you talking to a few of the inmates. Socializing is good."

"It's okay, I guess. The people here are kind of, interesting."

"You will get used to it eventually, there are all kinds of people, here with all kinds of different reasons." Niall says kindly, "But remember prison is all temporary."

Louis gives him a sad smile, a mere tug at the corner of his lips.

"But it is not, for you."

"Indeed.” The blond man sighs sighs deeply, moving to throw the paper cup into the bin.

There is a pause, but then the warden offers, "If you want, you could start with the gym or the library, y’know, to get yourself accustomed to the place."

Louis asks in surprise, "There is a library here?"

"Yeah," Niall confirms, "A librarian is a decent and common job that inmates get when they got out of prison. So, we have the library here."

“I haven’t been in a library for so long!”

“Oh?” Niall raises an eyebrow, “So you like reading?"

“I’ve always found it pleasing.” Louis gushes.

Niall gives him one more lopsided smile, their gazes connecting once again. “Well, I’ve got to get myself a refill. See you.”

Louis nods and smiles, watching the officer go.

“Don't forget to be on time for lunch and pick a good crowd!”

The officer calls out behind his back.

Louis chuckles to himself softly, “I will.”

  
  
  
  
The exotic smell of old paper and ink flows into Louis’ nostrils, and the boy could say he’s already fallen in love with this little room of sea of books: the library.

The shelves are wooden, with hundreds of books lining up neatly along the rows, their backs facing out and waiting to be picked out. Some inmates are lying on their stomach on the ground or the chairs, eyes travelling across the pages. Louis misses reading, misses holding a book tremendously. He has always loved reading, love the feeling that the imagined world would pull you into its oblivion. He seldom got to do that when he was back in the mansion with his old _master_. Shuddering, Louis quickly pushes the memories back to the back of his head.

He strolls along the shelves, running his index finger on the edges of each book and only pauses momentarily when something would catch his attention. At last, he plucks out one which title looks cool. He carefully steps over the outstretched legs of the other inmates sitting on the ground and walks to an empty, round table.

His reads about a man who works at a bookshop where he works midnight too with another old men, who’s the owner. 

He was reading for quite a while, slowly getting into the story when he hears the squeak of a chair in front of him.

Sitting down is another lad, brown quiffed and a slightly older face. Louis recognized him as Josh, someone who he has heard a lot within the short period of time he has been here. He has never came across the lad, or observed his face as close. To be honest, he doesn’t really look the type who would cause as much trouble as he is doing now.

The book he has in his hands is called _Clockwork Orange_ , something Louis vaguely remembers he read at age 15.

Louis looks up and Josh smiles at him, brow furrowing as he tries to recognize the former. A look of realization dawns on his face as he says, “Hey! You’re the new guy who came here a few days ago, right?”

“Yeah,” Louis nods, “ ‘Ave only been here for a few days though.”

“Oh,” The Josh guy grimaces, “You’ll have a long time to go. Well, ‘m Josh.”

“I know.”

Josh’s eyebrows go up in surprise, as he doesn’t expect the lad to know who he is, “That’s great umm...How do I call you?”

“Name’s Tomlinson. Louis Tomlinson.”

“Ah. So, Louis, the library is certainly a good place to start off your prison life. In my first year in here, I kind of mixed with the wrong crowd.” The lad gestures at the open book in his hands, “Have you read this book before?”

“Clockwork Orange? I have read it a long time ago. It was decent, but personally I don’t really like dystopian fictions.”

“Ah well, I’m the opposite of you. This was the first book I fell interested with after I started frequenting the library. I like such dystopian fictions because, well, they get you out of the reality."

"Yeah?" Louis shifts his body forward and leans an elbow on the table, "For me, those alternative universes are still a bit too unrealistic. But I agree on that part that you said these stories get us out of the world. You get to live another life."

"Totally!" Josh nods enthusiastically in agreement. He waves around the place surrounding them, "This place seems like another universe to me anyways."

Louis chuckles, "In a sense, yes. Coincidentally, an officer has just told me yesterday that all of these, being in prison, are just temporary. I still don't know whether being in prison, is for the better; or for the worse."

"It depends on why are you here then. Down to share?"

Louis swallows, “Um, I don’t really wanna talk about it. But to put it simple, it’s just something that happened between me and my master.”

“Isn't that always the case?" Josh says softly, his eyes now casting down, thumbing at the corner of a page, "It’s either we Subs are at faults, or our Doms."

He then smirks, "So you have a _master,_ then? Me too. Well, I _had_ one.”

“Yeah, right. I had one too." The smile on Louis' face mirrors Josh's, emphasising on the word “had”.

"My master decided I was too bratty, you see," Josh rolls his eyes, "Some of us are sent here for re-training, and it's an excuse to _dump us_ when we don't do anything according to their wishes anymore, but."

"But...?" Louis urges on.

"But I just think he’s weak, I know it's a bit harsh to say, but he never tries to understand me nor is he willing to. I never had any intention to rebel against him. I never really go against any big rules. It's just slips, here and there. I know I have quite a mouth, but it's not like I can control it everytime. He makes no effort in helping me, other than sending me away like some used toy. I don't understand why he didn't try to understand."

"So you kinda swear a lot?”

"I do have a dirty mouth. Sometimes, when I think of it, and the words just blurt out of my mouth, like the wind, you can't catch it back. S'why I even got punished here so often. Believe me or not, I like to mess around, but I crave the control that could ground me." The dirty-blonde shrugs.

"For me I wouldn't dream of swearing," Louis sniffs, "so can't really relate to you on this. But I do understand the struggle you're going through."

Josh gives him a lopsided smile, the corners of his mouth twitching, "Thanks for that, at least. Why don’t you think of swearing?"

"I indeed always think about it," The boy admits, "But over the course of the few years, I've learnt how to bite my tongue. I would really avoid getting beaten up.”

“What? Your master does that?” Josh gasps slightly, “Full-on beating you up just for a slip up?”

“Kind of like that,” The boy nods, but doesn’t intend on giving away too much, “Sometimes he’ll scold me and that’ll last for at least more than an hour mostly. ”

“Oh,” The other lad shudders to himself, “that’s tough, man. I think the only reason why _I_ don't get punished is because my master has given up on me altogether ― ”

“Hi boys.” A deep voice interrupts their conversation. Louis looks up and discovers it's Officer Styles walking towards their table. Louis gives a small smile, his bottom lip unconsciously caught between his teeth.

Both of the Subs greets the officer politely, while the man leans himself against one of the high chairs.

“I just passed by, so don’t mind me. So, how’s it going?” He’s looking at Louis now, “I’m glad you could find company this soon.”

Louis smiles up at Harry coyly, “It’s okay so far. The people are more civilized than I thought. The place is...cool, I guess.”

“Cool is definitely a...unique way to describe prison." The older man muses at that, "Glad you’re adapting to the surroundings and finding prison...okay.”

“I wouldn’t say so, Officer Styles.” Josh quips from the side.

“If you behave yourself more frequently it’ll be much easier here.” The officer deadpans, and sighs.

“No Dom’s coming for me anyways, I might as well be stuck here for the rest of my life.” Josh huffs to himself.

“Look on the bright side. Just keep having hope, you’ll never know.”

Looking at Louis, Harry offers a smile to him again, “Same to you, darling.”

The boy chews at the insides of his cheeks and nods, too shy to say anything.

“Well, seeing that you guys are finding peace here, I better get on with my duties.” Harry tips his head to a side, “Have a nice day.”

Offering a farewell nod, the man walks away without another word being said. Louis' eyes trails along his back before turning back to Josh, a smile lingering on the corner of his lips.

“So you say, you’ve got used to the punishments here?” Louis asks, picking up at where they left off for their conversation before the interruption.

“I wish I’m not, but I am indeed.”

“Why don’t you try to get out of trouble as much as you can? I mean, if you do something major they could lock you up for extra time — is that a thing? I heard they would do this.”

“Actually,” Josh pauses, before continuing, “I try not to get into that much of a trouble. But I have a thing, y’know, that sometimes I just want to see how much I can do until people can’t handle me anymore. It’s — kind of — fun, if you think of it that way.”

“Fun?” Louis frowns, finding it a bit hard to understand.

“If you put it that way, yeah,” The lad waves his hand, “It’s all like a game to me, this whole BDSM and prison ordeal, it’s like, a hunter pursuing the prey, it's fun to watch what others will do if I go against them. It means nothing if I’m tamed without a fight. I have to push them, so they could push me.”

Louis would not exactly agree to this point of view. To be honest, it would be in his wildest dreams to act out against his masters, at least intentionally. Because of circumstances, it’s not that if he didn’t do anything wrong he would not get punished. But those days are gone, still, Louis won’t think of it like this, it’s just simply not in his nature. He guess there are just different types of Submissives. He decides against saying anything, he knows better to keep his mouth shut while he still can.

Josh laughs to himself, “It may sound very wild to you, but everyone here, everyone being put in this place, we’re all mad here. ‘Cause you know what they do to guys like us in prison.”

“I’ve never imagined something like this. For the most part, I came to prison to seek my own comfort.” Louis muses.

The quiffed lad sits back in his chair, “We’re all here for different reasons, and although I didn’t know what you did, no one cares about what we did. Half of us are in prison to actual compensate for what we did against the rules, and another half, prison is just an excuse for Doms to abandon us here when we’re not their types of fun anymore.”

“So which half do you belong in?” Louis asks, softly.

“The hopeless tribe.” Josh smirks, but it’s more of a laugh to himself. He heaves a big sigh through his nose, “I’ve been here for ages, and I’ve seen more. Like that Mikey guy, I heard it’s his fifth year now. The first few years, he cried every night for his master and wonder what he has done so wrong against his rules that he has to go to prison, but now he just gave up, maybe it’s not about the laws after all.” 

“I agree with Officer Styles though, we should all keep having faith. Everything will work out at the end, I suppose.” Louis tries to comfort the other inmate, and at the same time, he’s saying this to himself too.

The dirty blonde nods softly, agreeing. A bell rings in the library. Louis looks to the clock and sees it’s in fact already 12 at noon.

“Well, seems like our cue.” Josh says. He holds out a hand for Louis to take. Louis places his on the open palms and stands up from chair. “Let’s hope it’s noodles day. Do you have to check out books?”

Louis hums in reply, so they takes their book and leave.

The walk to the prison canteen is filled with maneuvering among group of people and wincing at their chatters. Louis passes by the table he sat at the day before, the group of three is still sitting in the same place, in the same order. They must a clique or something. The red haired one looks up at him. Louis immediately shimmers away from the gaze. But the guy just smirks at him and shrugs.

Life must be playing a joke on him anyways. It is not noodles day.

  
  
  
It is half an hour until meditation session, so having nothing to do, Louis picks up the book he borrowed from the library two days ago and begins reading. The first chapter appeals to him quite well, as it starts right in the middle of a mysterious dusty old bookstore, which reminds the lad of the indie bookshop on the end of the street where he used to live on that he always visit, making him kind of nostalgic about the life he used to have while he was still in highschool.

“I can’t believe they move new inmates here again. The Submissive wing isn’t for storing leftover dumb thieves.” A loud voice booms across the canteen when Louis is just a few chapters in.

“You,” An officer, probably, says,  “how many times have you been here, huh? Fifth? If you gotta steal things, steal 'em smartly.”

“Wasn’t my fucking fault the cops decide to interfere.” Another voice spits back.

That’s when Louis finally looks up to the source of the voice. It sounds familiar, but Louis couldn’t quite place it yet. An officer is pushing an inmate along.

Once he looks up, Louis knows why it sounds familiar then. In fact, he knows the inmate. He knows very well who he is. It’s Dana, one of his Master’s old Subs.

He clearly remembers Dana Vaughns, one of the most disobedient of Master’s various collection of Submissives. He’s like Louis, thick and twinky, and never backs down. Louis also clearly remembers the day when he first stepped into his Master’s mansion, or rather, BDSM dungeon, is the day Dana last stepped out of it. Dana left without a word, and to be honest Master wouldn’t mind a bit. He has seen Dana left with that much of a hatred in his eyes that is so murderous that the 19-year-old him would thought was humanly impossible. But well, he understands Dana now.

Dana, on the other hand, however, did not acknowledge Louis. He allows himself being hauled along, like a rag doll. He must be a good few years older, and Louis wonders what has he been doing after he left. Has he ever once regretted leaving the mansion at all? Has he ever been in the same situation as Louis? Would taking a step back and leave, be better than fighting back against the dying of hope, like what Louis is trying to do now?

A bit of shuffling above him breaks his trance again. Louis looks up, it's the same three bully from. Louis glances around, there are many empty seats, but yet, the read-haired leader decides to plop down opposite of him. Louis swallows nervously.

The brunette one, who he remembers called “Mikey”, plucks the open book out of Louis' hands. Louis makes a small noise of protest because he hasn't marked the page yet.

So, he turns to the group with a scowl.

"What do you want." It comes out more like an aggressive statement more than a question.

"We're bored."

Louis huffs, "Just because you are bore doesn't mean I’d want to talk to you. Now give back my book."

Mikey throws the book back to the boy disgruntledly, which Louis barely managed to catch.

"Go do something else if you're bored." He says.

The red haired one leans in, "But _you_ happen to be the thing that would entertain us most."

"What do you want?" Louis asks again, this time sighing.

"Mikey" gets up from his seat and starts walking towards Louis' side. He pulls up a chair from the table beside theirs and plops down next to Louis', while swinging an arm around the boy's slightly bony shoulders.

"Please don't see us like that. We’re bored and just wanna talk, and maybe make friends. How do you see it, newbie?”

Louis ignores the man's suggestive tone, and side-eyes him, "What makes you think we could be 'friends'?"

"Well," Mikey shrugs, "you seem like the trouble type. We could have fun."

Louis' jaw tightens. The guys are really getting on his nerves, from their first encounter Louis knows they're not tame or decent lads. "So you think I'd be those kind of people who would mess with you, and fool around with others? And take others' pain as your own joy? Because I tell you, I'm not those people and want nothing to do with you guys."

"Oh, but is that really the case?" The red hair quips, "While we'd never know, how bout you tell us your story and we can know if we could be friends."

"Why do you want to know, anyways?" Louis sighs, exasperated. "We're all in prison, and I don't think my reason behind it would be anything extravagant."

"So we can only go with blind guessing. Hmm, lemme think," Mikey says from his side, "I say you're the bratty type, aren't you? Maybe too unbearable that your master has to dump you here?"

"Or maybe he's the flirty type, y'know," The platinum blond guy, the “petite” one, speaks up for the first time, "Did you go and offer yourself up? That's a big law kid, once you did it, you never go back."

Louis swallows hard. These accusations about him are completely wrong. But he makes no move to correct them, there's simply no use of doing so.

"Or maybe you're not a good enough _fuck_. But that'll be a shame, cause your butt would definitely be a good grab. Or your mouth, I bet they could do wonders, have your thighs ever juggled, huh, when your master let you ride his cock. I bet they do, pretty boy."

Something snaps in Louis when he hears those words – what they call him. His brows furrow, “Don’t call me that.”

“Don’t call you what?” The red haired snorts, “Huh? _Pretty boy?_ ”

“Yeah.”

“Aww, but that name suits you a lot. What a shame.” The man teases, “You’re so pretty, _pretty boy._ ”

“That’s none of your businesses. And now if you’ll leave me alone.” Louis tries retrieving his shoulder, and attempts to open his book again, “I’m not here to entertain you.”

The burning rage is back at the pit of Louis’ lung again. He takes in sharp breaths. Memories from the past: they haunt him. Pretty boy has a good ring to it, it sounds like a compliment, but underneath it represents the insults his Dom would throw at him, using pretty words to mask the malice behind.

“But pretty boy,” Mikey whines, dragging out the words, “it’s fine if you don’t wanna tell us. It's our turn to share.”

The grip around his shoulders tightens. Louis looks towards the face of the brunette which is all too close, there is a horrid smirk on his face. Louis’ heartbeat quickens. There is no space for a reply. Louis tries swallowing the growing lump that lurks at his throat.

A hot breath goes down his throat. He sucks at the inner of his cheeks, taking in a sharp breath.

“We’re all here because we’re too strong, too bratty they all say. But you are the polar opposite, aren’t you, pretty boy?” Mikey mouths into his ear. “Did your master used to call you that before he decided you’re too much and dump you here? I bet he did, _pretty boy._ ”

That’s when all hell break loose. A nameless surge of power comes up Louis' arm. He is fuming, he doesn't know whether to curl up into a ball and whimper as the memories comes flashing into his mind, or to punch everyone that is around him. It doesn’t matter who he punches, Louis has been suffocating for too long. Without realising g what he is even doing, Louis feels his arm swings out, hitting something hard.

Then someone is immediately hauling him away. Louis tries the struggle free from the wrong arms. It’s not working. He then elbows the person in the ribs, once, twice, thrice. He leaps forward and whips back, tightening his fists, readied for the next blow.

He doesn't care. _No one has the right to call him pretty boy._

A heavy weight lands on his back. Louis swallows a silent gasps and twists his arm in self-defence, striking back blindly. A loud cry is heard above him and the body slides off him. Louis glances down to the ground. The platinum kid is having his palm over his nose. Blood splattered all over his knuckles.

All of a sudden he feels himself falling backwards, his back hitting the ground with a loud thud. This is so going to leave a nasty bruise, the boy only has time to think, before a shadow is looming over him. He sees a head of red and his first instinct is to kick up his knee. So he did. And it went right into the hovering man’s groin.

"None of you can call me pretty boy _._ " Louis spits out. There is a familiar buzz in his ears.

His rival is not weak either. His fist whams into the side of Louis’ head, missing it by an inch as the boy ducks down, the punch hitting his bicep. It hurts so much but he won’t backdown. So with a small whine, he presses his hands on the man’s chest, attempting to push him away. He grits his teeth.

_No one. Not anymore._

The tackle goes from the floor to the ground. Louis holds the guy by the shoulders. slamming his hand repeatedly into his abdomen. The man’s eyes are shut tight. He buckles over, trying to look for a way to fight back. But Louis won’t let him. One more kick, one more punch. His heart is thumping in his chest, ready to break out.

" _Don't hurt me. Not anymore_."

 

>>>>< 

Harry is racking his brains over one of the cases from the Dominant wing when he hears about the commotion. First he hears screaming, then he hears shouting, closely followed by some noise that sounds very suspiciously like throwing punches.

The man sighs. The inmates are really tiring him out. He was just about to stand up and get out to check what is going on when Officer Malik barges in, looking as exasperated as the warden is.

“Fighting in canteen, Harry. Submissive Wing.”

Harry nods curtly. He quickly catches up with Zayn and start rushing to the area.

“I came here right after I heard about it, so someone else has probably already taken care of the situation.” The black-haired man reports. Harry hums in acknowledgment.

Soon, the shouts get louder. Harry looks to see who is causing the scene. And he frowns at it what's in front of him.

It’s Louis.

He’s being held back by two senior officers, one at each arm. His wrists are pushed together behind his back, yet he’s still struggling, leaning forward and twisting around, trying to get away from the grip. He screams out when an officer yank him away from his opponents.

The scene is bloody. All three men on the ground have cuts to their faces. The blond one is holding his abdomen with a hand, looking distraught. The other two brothers look angry. But they’re soon hauled away, more peacefully, by another officer.

Harry feels a presence beside him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees that it is Niall.

The Submissive officer has his eyes transfixed to the scene, watching as it unfolds. His face is unreadable, but his voice quiet when he comments, “It’s not even the end of his first week here.”

One of the officer holding back the inmate nods at Harry as he pushes the boy down to his knees. More tears roll down Louis’ face, patching his face red and puffy. He’s blubbering something incoherent to the men above him, saying things like “he was just protecting himself”, and asking “why”. His voice is hoarse, and he looks like he might pass out very soon. But when they place cold, hard handcuffs around the wrist, the cries has reduced to loud hics, and repeated _Stop’s_ and _No’s_.

While Harry doesn’t know much about Louis, for the only time he really talked to him, besides when he delivers his briefing, is probably the mere five minutes he met him in the library, with Josh. The boy looks like he’s in a great deal of emotional pain, and close to panic.

“Do you think he’ll be one of those untameable Subs? Like that Divine kid?” Zayn speaks to Harry’s right.

The warden contemplates the question. It is a moment before he shakes his head, and tilts his chin up to Louis’ direction.

“No, I don’t think so. Look at him, he’s crying.”

 

*

 

Harry Styles would say he’s quite the man of his job, and although his main duty is to take over the Dominant Wing, where most of the chaos happen, he still care a whole lot for the Submissive inmates. And this is not only because he’s the warden so he’s obliqued to do this, it is because the man truly wants them to learn well.

At 26 approaching 27, Harry is one of the youngest officers to become a warden, but that doesn’t mean he is extra soft or would let everyone slip. Most Dominants that come in either abuses their Submissives or neglects them, though a small group of them came in for involvement in Submissive bidding or trading. Due to the law, those who came in for abusing are those who would be locked up for the shortest period of time, while they’re ironically the cruelest and the major troublemakers.

As a Dominant himself, of course Harry would say his fellows are jerks, because, well, the man believe in that BDSM is all about give and take. You give your right amount of respect and care to your Submissive and gets back the equal amount of trust and commitment from your Submissive.

However, living in a world of free choice of Submissives, a lot of the Dominants choose who they want to fuck, not who they want to fall for, which is not what BDSM is supposed to be.

Therefore, Harry is always racking his brain over ways to make the Doms to at least _cooperate_ first, before showing them the right path. At the Dominants Wing it’s quite the nerve wreck, it’s fighting, fighting and fighting. Other times it would be picking at other Doms that appears weaker. Or worse, he has even (unfortunately) walked in a few times during weird scene of kissing. Sometimes you have to be the Dominant above all Dominants, to handle Dominants.

This job takes up a lot of his time and mind, and while Harry has so much passion of it, it gets him no time for love interests, let alone family planning. Niall and Zayn has always nagged him about it, using their own selves as a “perfect” example. But Harry just hasn’t found anyone to give away his heart.

Harry has quite of a reputation, which he is quite proud of to be honest. Although the Doms do what they’re told less than often, and neglects all warnings, but at least most of them give Harry respect whenever he is around. He is also aware of his infamous reputation among the Submissives. He does give long ass talks, and stern looks that always get the Subs to spill everything.

Which leads to where is heading now. He’s going to talk to a Submissive who has just caused a scene in the caféteria. Louis Tomlinson, he had really high hopes for this inmate when he first met him. He looks like the kind who wouldn't even hurt a fly, all obedient and head bowed down. But again, as usual, here in prison you always have to think twice.

Louis, well, is rather attractive, if you ask Harry. It's not entirely about the way he speaks: all small and timid, or the way he stands: curvy and constantly shifting in his toes, or the way he smiles up: coyly at Harry. Yes, Harry has seen a lot of people, different Doms, different Subs, but none of them has eyes like this Louis boy. Cerulean blue eyes, but they hold a depth to them, secrets brimming to the edge waiting to be spilled, insecurities that comes from nowhere. There's just this thing, that Harry just can't put a finger on, that the warden really, _really_ wants to figure out.

Yet again, Harry groans inwardly to himself. That is his _inmate_ for God's sake, no matter what, he must have done something really wrong enough to land him in prison. Harry really shouldn't be thinking like this about a _prisoner_ , whom he doesn't know at all. Oh well.

Harry gently knocks on the door to the cell, pushing it open. The kid is curling himself into a ball, perched on the middle of the small, made-up bed. His shoulders are slightly trembling, but silence fills the room.

Walking towards the bed slowly, Harry takes a sit on the edge of it, next to the boy. The thin mattress dips, the latter tenses, but doesn’t look up.

“So, Tomlinson, right?”

Louis gives no reply.

Considering there is no words from the boy, the officer continues talking, “I hope you realize that what happened in the canteen with the other three inmates is totally not acceptable in this prison, since violence is never the way to tackle a problem nor to release your emotions. However, I suspect that the fight just now might not be entirely your fault, and I’m here to give you a chance to explain yourselves before you have to undergo punishments I see fit. So, is there something you would like to say?”

Harry pauses for a moment, to see if there is any repainted from the curled up boy. But the boy still hasn't budged.

Sighing, Harry tries again, “There’s no need to be nervous. Just tell me if there’s something bothering you, we can help you. For the record, I’ve just talked to the other three inmates individually, and although from their description it seems that you began the fight, I have a feelings that there is more to the truth. I don’t want to make any unfair misjudgement, so if you could tell me what _really_ happened, I could help you.”

Silence.

Harry tries to keep his impatience at bay, "Just now when we arrived at the scene, I overheard you saying no one can hurt you anymore. Is there anyone who has hurt you before? Could you tell me?"

The tremble to Louis’ shoulders shakes harder, and a whimper flies out of his throat. But he decides to say nothing.

The officer shakes his head, sighing, "All we wanted to is to help you, and in return I hope you can cooperate. If you remain silence, we'll assume you confess to starting the fight and disrupting prison regulations, then you'll be put into isolation for a maximum of 48 hours without question. But if the truth isn't how we portrayed, it'll really be a shame if you undergo punishment mistakenly.

"If you want, the other three inmates also offer to apologize, but only if you do too. We can make it a peace out."

Louis remains speechless, his head pressing deeper and deeper into the carves of his knees.

The officer puts his tone softer, " _Louis_...there's really nothing I can do if you don't say anything..."

The silence is intriguing, and also haunting. As the younger male continues to shiver, Harry rubs his hand across his face and pinches the bridge of his nose at the growing impatience at the pit of his stomach.

"So I guess maybe my presence here is a bit too intimidating for you, I should give you a night to consider the offer. If you changed your mind, tell me tomorrow. If you don't, your punishment will start according, okay?"

Louis finally nods his head slightly. The movement is so small that it is barely recognizable, but nonetheless, a reaction is a reaction.

Glad that there is finally kind of a response that he could get out from the boy, Harry stands up from the bed. He twists the doorknob to the cell, breathing out a faint, "Have a good night, Mr. Tomlinson." as he walks out.

Layers of thought overshadows Harry’s mind as curiosity settles in. He knows it isn't incooperation or disobedience from the boy, it is something else that he can't put a name on. _Maybe it is fear_ , the man thought. Yet, what has got him so frightened? It shouldn't be the mere presence of the Dominant officer, right? 

What the hell happened to him?

 

  
Inside of the small cell, the caramel haired boy slowly picks up his head from his lap, silently. His face is flushed and his lips bitten raw. He watches the back of the tall warden goes as he hears the door clicks shut faintly.

A single tear rolls down his cheeks, he doesn't bother to wipe it away. The lighting in the room is strong, and the boys feels as if he's transferred back in time, back to merely a few months earlier.

Even if he's already out of that hell hole, after all these years, he still hasn't managed to speak up for himself, for the truth.

 

 

 

The next morning Louis wakes up to knocking sound at his door. He goes to open it and sees it is Officer Malik.

The cop offers a neutral smile, “Morning, Tomlinson. Have you made up your mind?”

The Submissive nods curtly. “I’m coming with you.”

Officer Malik looks at him for a moment, “You’re not gonna fight this, are you?”

Louis sighs through his nose softly. This time, he shakes his head.

Malik decides there is no use of further coaxing the boy into rethinking. Meaning, if Harry couldn’t do it, there is no way could he.

“Alright, follow me this way.” He turns his body sideways, gesturing Louis out.

“Um, officer,” The lad squeaks out, hating when his voice comes out a pitch higher than he expected.

The cop turns back to look at him, raising an eyebrow. Louis hurries to explain, “Can ㄧ May I take some books with me?”

Zayn approves. Louis quickly snatches a few from the bedside table then rushes out to catch up with Officer Malik. Once they’re out, he guides Louis through a secret passage from the end of the hallway of the floor, then enter an elevator to go down into the basement, where they keep all the isolation rooms.

Officer Malik explains, “So these are the isolation rooms, and no, it is not maximum security. Being isolated is a common form of punishment here, beside chores I mean. In here, you’ll simply not get any connection to any other inmates from both wings, and you’re supposed to think and repent about your wrongful actions. And you have to stay quiet all times. Three meals will be given to you accordingly, and you’ll stay here until me or any officers tell you to come out. You’ll only stay here for at most two days, so no worries.” He finishes, unlocking a door to a confined room, pushing Louis into it lightly.

Louis eyes his surroundings carefully. The wall are as white as sheet, but seems to be in even better condition than the scraps of paint falling off in his own cell, maybe that's because it is used less often. There is a bed attached to the corner of the room, with thin mattress and a woolen blanket to match.

The door is quietly closed behind him without a further word being said by the officer. Louis walks further into the frail room and sinks onto his bottom along the wall. Setting the books on the ground temporarily, he presses his head against his knees, curling up into a ball and closing his eyes. Breakfast should be coming in soon, though there is no clock in the room. This makes it a bit hard to stay calm without something to look forward to, for most people.

The room is silent, but it’s quite peaceful. Louis glances up and sees that there is a miniature window sealed with bars morphed into the top corner of the room where no one could possibly reach. Louis momentarily wonders if birds could fit into the tight gaps, they would sing and could keep him company.

His little daydream is interrupted by the grumble in his stomach, Louis sighs and stands up. Stretching his limbs, he picks up the books on the ground and climb onto the small made-up bed. He dumps the book beside him and instead of curling, he lies down and places both of his arms bean the his head, and closes his eyes again.

 

 

>>>><

Harry Styles strides back to his office back from the Dominant Wing, some inmates wave at him, some winks back. He waves back at only those who waved.

His steps might seem relaxed, but in fact, what is sitting in his mind is something of the complete opposite. He has just come back from a meeting with the authority, and a few other colleagues, hence the reason he didn't go and retrieve Louis himself.

The truth is, there is this thing that has been going on for months. There is an inmate in the Dominant Wing, named Frank Iero, who is highly suspicious of Submissive trafficking. He was already in prison for the same offence, but everyone dealing with the case, including the warden himself, knows fully well that there is someone else behind the whole system. Iero isn't exactly wealthy, at least not wealthy enough to hold an entire business on his own. There must be someone above him, wealthier, more powerful, more cruel and definitely more of a douchebag.

However, no one knows who this person is. Iero, or his above, has been irritably careful with their meet-ups and profit transaction. Submissive trafficking must not be the only business they own, maybe something worse, hypothetically speaking, running a BDSM dungeon. Harry could only imagine how many Submissives are there, or maybe even Dominants, used and beaten.

It's not like the authorities never know of these mistreatment of the Submissives, for they're sort of a big thing, obvious in the culture, but catching the criminals would be as hard as catching a star from the sky.

Harry knows. Everyone knows. But so what? The criminals are still out there on the loose. And now he knew about Iero. If only he would let it slip who is his partner in crime, who is still roaming freely outside, hurting more and more people.

>>>><

 

 

Three meals came and went by very quickly. Soon the next day announces itself with the morning blinds come shining into the small, uptight cell. Wind is blowing in softly, the air is fresh. The frail boy in it wakes up to someone shaking him awake.

The sub blinks open an eye as he sits up from the bed.

"Oh, _Niall_ , um, good morning?"

The blonde officer grins at him and greets him back, "Good morning, Louis. Go get your things, we're letting you out."

Louis scrambles to get his books, catching them safely in his arms. "This soon, officer? Not that I’m complaining about it but, I thought I would be in here for longer."

Niall shrugs, "Well, seems like that's not the case then. Considering it's only your first offence and you're barely here for a week, and that this fight is probably only half your fault, Harry decided to let you out sooner."

Louis narrows his eyes for a moment at the name, before his memories recalling, "Oh, Officer Styles, yeah."

"You met him surely. Didn't he give you a long talk?"

"Um, not very long. It was okay?"

Niall turns to look at him, an amused expression on his face, "Okay? You actually find it not horrid? You're certainly one of a kind, Tomlinson."

Louis wanted to say that he’s endured even longer scoldings, but he didn’t, so he only chuckles back.

"Oh by the way, on another note," The blonde locks the door to the isolation room behinds him, "those three guys you fought with, y'know, got two days in isolation, so you don't have to worry.”

They walk out of the furnished area then back to the familiar hallways, as they approach the main room, one of the other officers that Louis does not know of is dragging a prisoner out. It is Dana again.

Louis lets his gaze lingers on the guy as he is pulled to stumble along the fence.

“You know him?”

Louis jumps slightly at the officer’s voice, then shakes his head to himself. “Hmm, not really.” He lies.

“That’ll be Vaughns." The officer explains. "He’s not in for BDSM offences. He should be in the general prison but there is no space there and apparently we have here. I don’t know what he did this time but I’ve seen him a few times already. Sounds like a repetitive criminal."

So that’s what happened.

As if on cue, they reach the entrance as soon as Niall has finished talking. The officer stops and pats him on the back, “Well I’m only accompanying you to the hall since I’ve got errands to do. I believe they’re still serving breakfast. See you Louis, be good. I have faith in you.”

The boy bites at his lips and swallows hard, nodding at the officer’s words. Short as the officer has known him, he is already having faith in him, which is something that doesn’t happen a lot on Louis. He also hopes everything will go well too, he doesn’t want to disappoint now.

He waves a farewell and turns around, walking to the benches. Most people have left the area already, so breakfast time must be over soon. God, he gotta act fast. However, as soon as he turn around, there is someone appearing to his left again.

“Oh Louis thank god you're here. Please, do give me a mind cleanse.” A slightly taller male in sandy hair, Josh, whines once he lands before Louis.

“What, why?” Louis asks, confused, “What happened?”

Josh gives him an exasperated look and again, “ _Officer Styles_ happened.”

“What about him?” Louis gives him an amused look.

“Guess what? Last night when you were not here, I talked back to Zayn — Officer Malik because he was so goddamn irritating and got my ass beaten again. Worst, Officer Styles just decided to burst in in this early, lovely morning to give me a lecture. You know his lectures, so fucking hard to endure. That’s why I hate those Doms sometimes, always getting us to beg for forgiveness in no time. ” Josh grunts.

“Actually I don’t know his lectures. He did talk to me once but it was no longer than 15 minutes and he just up and left. He talked slow I noticed though. What did he say to you?”

“It’s just — ” The other man makes a vague gesture with his hands, “I don’t really remember what he said cause he always repeat them over and over again. It’s just don’t do this, don’t do that, why I have to behave, blah blah blah. So I went like, yes, yes, okay officer, I understand officer, no I don’t wanna get spanked again sir.”

Louis discovers that it’s true, once you begins to talk to Josh, his mouth really can’t be shut easily. The words just flow out like river streams.

Louis bursts into a loud laugh unexpectedly, “That seems so — interesting. While what I ‘endured’ is only short talks and heavy sighs, I really wanna see how they really are. Even Officer Horan shudders at the thought ”

Josh looks at him as if he has newfound admiration, “You’re one of a kind, darling.”

“I know, I’ve been told and oh _shoot_ — did the bell just rung? I missed breakfast. Josh it’s your fault!” Louis gasps and looks to Josh with a mock accusing glance.

Josh has the decency to look a little guilty, “Do you want my burger? I sneaked one out for snack.”

Louis didn’t question the sneaking-out thing, but instead he rolls his eyes and laughs, “Nah, I’m just kidding, I’m not that hungry anyways.”

They slowly walk back towards the cells then the other Sub begins to ask again, “So, what happened back then? Why were you in isolation, or so I’ve heard?”

“Ugh,” A deep blush rises up Louis’ cheeks. "I got into a fight."

Josh sputters, "What? Really? With who?”

“That red haired lad and his group. I don’t even know what’s their names though.”

“Oh.” The other man frowns, then glances away, “Um. That’ll be the Way brothers. The blondie I don’t know his name, he joined their group after I left.”

“You guys used to be friends?”

Josh just nods.

“Oh yeah, the second day I came in and when you’re getting punished — that’s you right — I saw them looking at you funny.”

“Is that it?” Josh says, chuckling awkwardly, “How did the fight happen anyways? I didn’t think you’ll be the fighting type.”

"But it happened." Louis shrugs. “They’re provoking me too much.”

Josh gives him a sympathetic smile, "It's just isolation, isn't it, not so bad. Not in pain like me.”

“The pain never bothered you anyway,” Louis smirks at him, “But yeah, maybe it’s only my first punishment here, so it’s not too harsh. How long have you been here, Josh? I think I didn’t ask you about it.” Louis wonders how many times has Josh got punished, that he gets used to it all.

“No, you haven’t. I’ve been here for a little over two years now.”

"Have your master ever come to visit you?" Louis asks, genuinely curious.

" _Him_?" Josh lets out a cold chuckle, distaste in his tone, "Never. Too busy playing with other Subs’ hearts and managing his company probably."

"Who was your master?"

Josh mutters a name under his breath, and Louis widens his eyes.

"What? But isn’t he like, the CEO of the second or third largest business company in the whole UK? "

"Third," Josh corrects, but clenches his jaw immediately after, "But so what? We never meant anything to each other. _I_ never meant anything to him."

The lad just keeps looking at the ground after that, seems to be sulking. Although as easy as the Sub puts it, he must still be heartbroken. Eventually, he sighs deeply.

"Look, I’ve thought of what you said to me at the library that day. It's really been quite a long time since I got in prison, and that makes me rethink about the time I’ve been here. How’s this, let's promise each other that we'll try to cause at least trouble we can, shall we? I'm starting to think I wanna get out earlier then be stuck in this junk of a place." 

"You can promise that?" Louis’ face lights up.

"Not really," Josh admits, "But I'll try."

"Okay," Louis agrees. This shouldn't be too hard for him, and he could definitely do it for someone who wants to perform better for his own's sake. "I promise I'll try my best too."

Josh gives him a face splitting smile as they step into the library.

  


Louis has bathed and washed, and now he's sitting on his small bunk, staring at the timetable stuck onto the board opposite to his bed, waiting for the meditation session. An announcement for has rung across the whole building, and Louis is just getting ready to leave his cell.

The past days have been peaceful at least for Louis, he get his way out of all chances of trouble. No one has tried to bother him, and he tries not to bother anyone. He avoids the three bully at all costs, and spends his days quietly cooped up in the library occasionally chatting with Josh and other inmates. So far it’s just been necessary small talks, but not that Louis is not content with it.

He’s been told he has to practice his Submissive position in the meditation. When he walks into the large room, it’s already been filled with people with their heads bowed down obediently and legs folded up, separated to the sides. He quickly walks to the back of the room, sitting down into his position accordingly.

He spots Josh’s head at the far left, and a few of the others inmate that he has chatted with a few times. He averts his head down then and waits patiently. Harry is pacing slowly, back and forth, at the front, waiting for all the inmates to enter.

“Since all of you are here now, let’s start early.” The officer begins by saying, his voice low and sensual, sending a shiver down Louis’ spine. The boy takes in a deep breath and steadies himself. “First, I need you to sit in the Submissive position, which I see most of you have already done that. Bow down your heads.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Louis sees some people shifts to move.

“We’re gathered here to have our meditation session, which will last for not more than half an hour. To those who are newcomers, we do this daily in order to cleanse our jumbled minds. Being in prison may be stressful, or you may feel you’re left out, or locked up from the world. But, you have to know that prison is only temporary, it isn’t forever. Once you compensate for your mistakes, it’s all be over. So it’s important for us to self-reflect on our wrongdoings in order to move on to be a better person in our designated roles.

But first, take in a deep breath, slowly, in and out.”

Louis follows accordingly, wondering where this all will go.

Harry continues to softly instruct them for about 5 more minutes. Louis finds himself relaxing more and more into his position, flexing his shoulders that he didn’t know once was tense. He closes his eyes, by instinct, and wills himself not to slump down.

“Good. Now I want y’all to think back to the moment you enter the cell. It might be long ago for some of you, but it’s important to remind yourselves for the sole reason that got you in here. All faults are forgiven, and now you just have to correct yourselves and not to repeat the same mistakes again.

Think about how you’re here. Are you here because you did something that is completely out of your role of a Submissive that is unacceptable? Did you go against your Dominants that might cause permanent harm on them? Or is it that you abuse some of the laws in the BDSM constitution? Or anything, I want you to think about it. Think about all the consequences it might cause on both of you, and your Dominants.”

Louis knows why is he here. He knows that most of the people are here because of their own wrongs. He also knows that the reason he is here is not only on him.

As a matter of fact, he chose to be in prison rather than living with his master. It’s so ridiculous for others to think about, but it’s true though. For the boy knows that he couldn’t manage too long before either crumpling into an insane mess or get sent here _by_ his master. He chose to do this in his own will. He also chose to plead guilty to a crime that he did not ever commit.

The solace he is seeking in this prison is nice, Louis decides.

“Keep on your deep breaths, you’re doing good.” The officer’s voice is deep, and silky, like it is rumbling straight from the depth of his chest, “To correct your mistakes, the first and foremost is to feel the regret for it. Whatever you've done, it's not good. It causes harm on you and your Dominants relationship, threatens the trust and bond between you two, and casts unpleasant feelings on both parties. A Submissive is expected to be obedient, and obeys the rules your Dominant has given to you, because they're only for your own good. The rules are given for your well-being, and only when you've respected that, the relationship would work accordingly."

Even though the words don't fit Louis' past, he finds himself nodding to it, because true, respect is very important in any relationship. Submissives have to respect Doms, but Doms also have to earn that trust.

"Think about today. What have you done all day? Have you done everything properly that fits your role? Have you done anything out of league? If you've broke some rules today, well, it's okay. Just don't do it again. Doms wouldn't want disobedient Subs. Behave yourself and you'll be rewarded everything you want. It's simple as that. Don't think that you're only controlled by your Doms. A relationship is a two-way thing. It's all a game about give and take. Doms have needs too. They need you to behave well. When you do that, you both will be happy."

 _I've surrendered my whole body, but got raped and beaten nearly to death for that, what's more to take?_ Louis thinks to himself, releasing a puff of angry air through his nose. He shifts a bit, and bites his lips.

"A Submissive is obedient. A Submissive should follow the rules their Dominant gives them because that's what they need most. A Submissive surrenders on their own will. A Submissive would not fight back, and to accept whatever reward is given to them. Dominants choose best and only want you to be loved, to be cared.

"Submissive gives this chance and trust to Dominants in return for love and care. Someone will take care of you, someone still loves you out there, no need to worry."

Louis breathes out slowly, and swallows hard. He closes his eyes again, feeling an unfathomable emotion rushes through his veins.

 

_You're safe here. No one can harm you again._


	3. Solace (Part 1.2)

There is a knock on Harry’s door.

“Come in.” The warden calls, looking up from his desk. His door clicks open softly.

An inmate with bushy long blond hair comes in, he walks in and sits down on a chair opposite of the desk, looking at Harry expectantly.

Harry clears his throat, "So, what brings you here, crazy lad?"

"For the millionth time, Sir, my name is Cobain. The hysterical façade is just a thing I put up to fool people. ” The man, flicking his long hair over his shoulder, “I do what is necessary keeps me safe and people away from me.”

Harry chuckles, shaking his head signalling he gives up, “Sure,  _Cobain_ , knew you're a smart lad. Is there anything news lately?”

Cobain looks at the officer, smug written over his face. “As you may see, Sir, I never come not bearing good news."

Harry shrugs,  "Depends on what's the news then."

The inmate smirks. "You know the newbie here, what's his name, Lewis something?"

" _Louis_ ," Harry corrects softly, "But yeah, what about him?"

"The other day I overheard the Way brothers talking to him, more like harassing him like the troublemakers they are, they said something that you might be interested in.”

“Oh? What it is? I’m all ears.” Harry sits up straighter, his attention slowly perking up.

“Well, it looks like the red haired one, Gerard, and his master used to have a BDSM dungeon of some sort going on. A dungeon not only for sex, but like, training Subs for prostitution and using them to make money. I quote ‘If only you belonged to us, me and my Dom, we could train you then sell you. You’re a pretty one isn’t it, everyone would fight to be yours, babydoll.’ unquote. From what you’ve told me before, those guys were jailed for Submissives trafficking, and well, now we know what they’ve done to those Subs.”

Harry nods, exhaling a deep breath. What Cobain said is nothing to his surprise, but it only adds evidence to his presumption, which is the couple are up to more things, more horrible things.

“Did he say anything else?”

“Yes, but it’s just about the same thing like ‘You’ll be such an addition to our business’. I don’t think he’s saying that to intentionally expose his career though, he’s just saying it to provoke the poor lad. Eventually it got a bit too insulting, and that's when I stepped in to pull away the boy.” Cobain finishes, stretching his arms, “Just, look into him and his master maybe? I don't know.”

“Thank you for telling me, I’ll look into it,” Harry says, reaching into his drawer and pulls out a Jacob’s Club, “Here’s your chocolate bar.”

“Thanks!” Cobain beams at the bar that is thrown towards him and rips off the wrap, immediately begins munching on it. “And Officer Styles, don’t forget to return the favour for me.” His gaze peeks out quizzically behind the snack.

“Yeah, give your mistress a call right? Of course.” Harry’s hand reaches for the telephone that is perched up on his messy desk, “I’ll do that, now, out of my room.”

Harry keys in the string of numbers that he has almost memorized, watching absentmindedly as the inmate skips out of the room. He presses the call button, only to be met with a dead dial tone, _as always_.

>>>><

 

Louis is spending his days great, or at least the boy thinks he is. Prison is quiet, as long as you mind your own business and don't mix with the wrong crowd. He sees people come and go at day, and lies on the small mattress and thinks about his life so far at night. Meditation is good too, and he’s almost too weirded out to say that he thinks Officer Style’s voice is kind of, very soothing. He heard that (from passing inmates) the warden has to take care of both the Submissive and the Dominant Wing, and he wonders how the man could have so much free time squeezed in between them, wandering about and talking to people in the cell.

Louis has gotten quite close with Josh, and another older inmate named James, and they coop up in the library a lot. James has a mistress whom he loves very much, maybe too much that he once almost punched the life out of a kid who tries to chat up his mistress, resulting him in prison. Louis and Josh finds him always reading the newspaper in the library, and when they ask him, he says he’s happy that he could get into the BDSM prison, instead of the normal ones.

Josh still gets spankings, but much less often now. Louis hasn’t messed up once after his last punishment, although he was this close to one day when he is in a bad mood and people try to irritate him. That day he woke up with nightmares again and trembles so hard, almost falling into a panic attack, while trying to muffle his sobs. The dreams feel so real to him, and Louis is really tired of being his own hero sometimes.

“Um, gotta put this back.” Louis says, standing up and disrupting a quiet conversation he’s having with Josh and James. The chair squeaks a bit, and some eyes in the library gives him disapproval looks.

He walks back to the shelves and slips back a few of the gossip magazines (the only ones that prison actually allows). Josh hates reading those, because sometimes he’ll see his old master’s face on them. Louis turns around when he feels a pat on his shoulders.

“Oh. Um, Officer Styles, didn’t expect it to be you.” Louis says lamely.

“Yeah,” Harry replies just as lamely, smiling a bit. His hands go up to shuffle his curls, while staring down at the inmate.

They stand in silence, facing each other, Louis waiting for the formal to speak. And he has to stifle a giggle because of the warden seems to be zoning out on him.

“Uh,” Louis eventually clears his throat, “So what’s the matter, Sir?” A faint blush starts painting at his cheeks as he shyly asks.

“Ah, ‘m sorry, got lost a bit just now,” Harry snaps out of his trance, looking away momentarily, “Right. I needed to talk to you.”

Louis immediately worries. “Wait, I-I’m not in any trouble am I?”

“Oh! Oh no it’s not you.” Harry quickly shakes his head to reassure, “Nothing wrong with you, I promise. However, I have a proposition for you.”

“What is it?”

“So you see, every inmate got a post or some chores to do here, and you will soon have one too. Usually the inmates will be grouped and assigned jobs by a computer but right now our librarian at the Sub Wing is ready to be let out,” Harry throws a glance to the reception area, “And we have to fill in that post. As I see you apparently like spending the days here, I think being the new librarian would really suit you. What do you think about taking this post?”

“Yes!” Louis lights up, a bit too enthusiastically, “Of course I'd love too.”

“Thought so.” Harry chuckles.

“Although the current librarian won't be let out for another two weeks, I want you to ask him and learn how everything works around here, okay?” Harry asks, raising an eyebrow.

Louis nods quickly. Harry gives him a polite grin then dismisses himself, patting his hands on Louis’ shoulder blades.

 

 

“Oi, Louis! Would you please come here?”

A voice distracts Louis from him and the librarian's (whose name Louis learnt is Simon) conversation. They're currently sitting on the sofas in the social wing, Simon drawing him a table of where every type of books should be placed.

Louis looks over. It is Officer Malik calling for him, plus a figure peeking out beside him. The boy gives an apologetic smile to the older man, then quietly excuses himself to walk to where the officer is standing.

The other man besides him steps out. Puppy dog-eyed, coffee brown-haired with a little quiff and broad-chested, his face carries a gentle expression. He looks very familiar, Louis must have seen him somewhere before, but he doesn't know _where_.

“Louis, this is Mr. Payne here, our new inmate. Could you do me a favour and show him around? Just a simple tour will do.” Officer Malik tells him, gesturing to the bowing lad standing beside him, sounding urgent.

Louis’ gaze flickers to the clock hanging above him on the wall. It is close to the end of the officer’s working hour since he doesn't work night shift, and out of the corner of his eyes, Louis vaguely spots a Niall leaning at the hallway waiting. Louis sighs.

“Fine, I guess.”

Officer Malik gives him a beam, and that is probably the only time Louis has seen the guard genuinely smile. As the man sprints off, Louis turns to look at the fellow Sub with a light frown on his face. He’s still trying to figure out why does it seems like he’s met him before.

“Alright, follow me.” The lad’s head jerks up. Louis nods at him and begins walking.

“Thank you.” His voice is clipped, as he looks around the prison suspiciously, but trails behind Louis nonetheless.

“And here’s the library, where I’ll be working as the librarian in a week, come when you need a place of quietness.” Louis finished, leading the other inmate to step out of the library.

The taller lad nods again. The whole mini trip he has only been nodding, or humming in occasions just to show he’s listening. The neutral expression on his face never changing, his eyes curiously deciphering the place around him.

Louis knows for a fact that is to never question one’s reason for being jailed, unless you want to be questioned yourself, and Louis isn't very fond of the idea. Even if you're trying to strike a conversation.

“Right, have you been briefed by our warden yet?” Louis asks.

The brown-eyed man stares at him for a while, not replying. It is not until when Louis quirks an eyebrow at him does he says.

“Hey, your last name wouldn't be Tomlinson, would it?” Instead of answering the question, he asks another one out of the blue.

That is certainly not something Louis is expecting. He cringes to himself, reluctantly admitting, “Um, yes. But. How do you know?”

“I’m _Liam_.”

And _Oh_ . It finally clicks in Louis’ mind why he thought he’s seen the lad before, because he _did_ — Liam is the cook Louis’ masters hire, Louis has only seen him when he brings up meal to his room once in a while.

He narrows his eyes at the man standing in front of him. “Are you…?”

“Yes. I am.” Liam nods, saying in the same clipped tone.

Louis sighs through his nose softly, swallowing hard. “Well,” He says in an awkward chuckle, not quite sure how to react to the situation.

Liam leans forward and murmurs in a low whisper, not before giving a quick glance around.

“I know the real reason why you're here.”

Louis’ heart drops to his stomach. His eyes cast down, trying to act nonchalant. He picks at the hem of his prison uniform.

“Really? You do?”

It’s not like Louis doesn't want anyone to know, but he’s trying not to let the cats out of the bag, because the more people know, the higher chance people will try to get their noses into his business, trying to set everything right again. What will happen, going to court, going to other places, being let out, Louis really doesn't care. He just, never wants to see his master, that _monster_ ever again.

“Yeah, I understand. Who doesn't want to escape from that hellhole, especially with the treatment you got? I’d do the same thing, if I were in your position.” Liam explains, lowering his voice.

He leans back, a faint smirk now playing on his lips, “You know who takes your place at the mansion, now that you left?” He pauses for dramatic effect, “That gold digger kid did. That Hemmings.”

Louis scoffs at the mental image of the Sub Liam is referring to, “Good for him, now that he knows what it really feels like to be master’s favourite _toy_.” He spits out the last word with spite.

They starts walking again. Louis swallows past the lump in his throat, “I didn't know you know that much.”

Liam snorts, “Of course I do. I just don't mingle.” He stares back straight ahead, begins walking again, “So what were you saying?” 

“I was asking if the warden has talked to you yet.”

The new inmate gives a shake of his head, “No, I don't believe so. Though Officer Malik has already gave me a run down, said Officer Styles has been really busy over at the Dom Wing...Why?”

“Just checking if I have to bring you over there, that's it.” Louis clears his throat, glancing up, “I assume you know how to go back to your cell, then.”

Liam gives him a curt nod, “Thanks for showing me around. Goodbye Louis.”

“Bye.” Louis waves, Liam gives him a tight smile.

Louis walks back towards where his cell is, rubbing a tired fist over his eyes, sighing deeply. Well, that went well. Prison just gives you surprises.

 

 

Louis scans the barcode on a book that a senior inmate has thrusted to him, watching as the blank space in the computer system being filled with the a code. He places the book back onto the counter before him, not looking up as the person walks away.

Then he hears a loud “thud” above him. He glances upward to see a big pile of books landing on the counter, along with a deep and slow voice,

“Doing good here?”

Louis’ head snap up to the voice. He smiles when he sees who is it, biting his bottom lip out of a nervous instinct. “Good afternoon, Officer Styles. And yeah, I’m good. Jus’ getting the hang around things.”

He’s only been working for four days, ever since Simon has left. There isn’t a lot of things to do around the library, so he stills get a lot to time to read and to chat.

“That's great. I’m glad.” Harry replies, gesturing to the pile of books he has carried to the counter, “I may need these books for a longer while. Is there anything you can do about it?”

“I can extend the return date,” Louis says, glancing at the books. Most of them are thick, with titles like “ _Criminal’s Mind_ ”, “ _The Escape -- An Autobiography_ ” or “ _Partners In Crime_ ”. Louis picks up the first one, tilting his chin to the rest of them, “That’s a lot reading to do.”

“Sure it is. Poor me.” Harry hums, as Louis fidgets with the stamp for the return date to be stamped at the back of the book covers.

“Y’know, you don’t have to be afraid of me, just because I’m the guard.” Harry suddenly says.

“H-How do you know I'm nervous?” Louis' eyes widen, looking to the guard.

The corner of Harry’s twitches up into what looks like a smirk. He taps the spine of the book “ _Criminal’s Mind_ ” silently. “You’re not very easy to read, but that -- ” He points a finger to Louis’ hands which are currently fumbling at the hem of his shirt, “is exactly a sign of nervousness.”

Louis immediately puts his hands down, his cheeks firing up into a blush, he hasn’t even realized he was doing it.

“Well. I made quite a bad first impression back then didn’t I?” Louis’ smile falters slightly, and he chews at the inside of his cheeks.

“It’s okay, y’know,” Harry’s face softens , “everyone make mistakes at the wrong time. That’s exactly the point of prison, to compensate for and correct the mistakes. It is prison here, there is no strings attached, but that also mean that everything will be forgotten once after appropriate punishment.”

“Okay…”

“So you don’t have to be afraid of anyone, it’s safe here. So, if there is anything troubling you, like, someone hurting you, you're welcomed to report to us straight away, okay?

Louis nods. And Harry raises an eyebrow at him promptly. Louis quips quickly again, “I’ll see, Sir. Thank you.”

But Harry just chuckles at him. Louis looks down, scanning the last book before handing them all back to the warden. The taller man takes the pile and walks away with a curt nod.

Louis narrows his eyes as his figure distances.

 

*  
  
Josh and Louis are in the yard outside the cell building, trying to fix a fence that has crooked and rusted, along with an officer working in the Dominant Wing to watch as they do it, and to offer help.

Josh suggested they volunteer for it, as a matter of fact, it is a surprise to them as much as to the prison guards. But nevertheless, here they are, big scissors and pliers in hands trying to secure in a brand new fence. Patches of intertwined wires lie scattered on the ground, as they remove the rusty parts.

Louis cuts open the last piece of rusty wire with the scissors, then goes to pick up a piece of fence with Josh’s help. The officer who is standing on the other side of the fence, takes it and positions it in a decent place for them to tie it in. Josh grabs the pliers and begins to crook the wires around the edges of the hole, so as to make them barbed.

“Hey, wanna hear a joke?” Josh asks nonchalantly.

Louis hums, holding the piece in place.

“Are you a fence? Because I’d like to scissor you open.” 

Louis’ jaw falls open as a blush coats at his cheeks immediately, then he glares at his friend who is sporting this huge smirk on his face. “Hey!” He pouts, face heating up redder than a tomato, “That’s a pickup line. How dare you?”

“But are you in or not? I’m sure you’re more crooked than that rusty fence.”

Louis gapes at him more. Josh returns his glare with a harder smirk, but is biting the inside of his cheeks so harsh to stop himself from giggling out. Both of them stare at each other, waiting for who’s the first one crack.

“I’m gonna use this scissor to rip your head off.” Louis mocks a dark growl.

“Oi! Boys, break it off.” The officer from the other side calls.

Josh snaps his gaze to him, giving him a much confused look. “We’re only joking.”

The officer obviously doesn’t understand their humour, but instead, grunts and walks away as the fence is already fixed.

Josh turns to Louis, pointing his thumb at the direction the officer has walked off, mouthing, “Is it because he works at the Dom wing?”

Louis gives him a shrug. “Dunno. Maybe we’d already be in a fight if we were Doms.” He whispers back.

Josh laughs and they go pack their things up, walking behind the guard back into the building.

*

 

“Hey! Sir, need more resources?” Louis eyes the pile of books Harry has pushed towards him, his lips twitched up in a corner and his eyes twinkling.

Harry rolls his eyes, and plops down in the rolling chair in front of the counter, “None of your business. But hell yeah, this is cracking me up.”

“Uh-huh.” Louis hums in response, his eyes casting down now. He begins to check out the book for Harry, “Officer, why do you have to check out books anyway? You can just take them, you’re the warden. Oh wait, forget I asked that.” Louis mentally facepalms himself for again letting his tongue and curiosity get the better of him.

“I take care of the prison, but I don’t own it, or anyone in it. Yup.” The officer answers genuinely anyways, sighing and picks up a book from the pile.

“So, is there anyone or thing bothering you lately?” Harry suddenly asks, after a while of comfortable silence.

Louis furrows his brows and looks up from his book slowly, “Um. No? Why’d you ask that Sir?”

“Uh it's just — ” Harry waves his hand around, “Sometimes when I patrol or am in the library I see you looking quite gloomy.”

“ _Oh_.” Louis’ face falls a bit, “That's just me.”

Harry hums an okay, not sounding too convinced, but thankfully, he doesn't press on, “But if there's anyone hurting you, tell me. Or any of the officers, like I said last time there's no need to be afraid. Please don't keep quiet.”

Louis shifts in his chair. He doesn't know why the warden is asking these questions. Sure, he feels very safe now but that doesn't mean he automatically becomes very happy. Still, is he becoming more easily to be read?

“There's just something I chose not to say…”

“Very well,” Harry quips, “We always respect our inmates’ privacy. Just don't take any blame for anyone, okay? _Especially_ when it’s self-defence.”

Louis wants to snort at the irony in that sentence, because sure, when he hit his master it was plainly out of self-defence, yet he deliberately allows it to be passed of as actual attack, only in order to be taken away from the Dom. He's in jail for _exactly_ self-defence. But of course Louis doesn't say a thing. Merely, he looks to Harry with curious eyes.

“Oh, I'm a warden, of this very cell,” Harry rolls his eyes for the second time of the day, answering the unasked question, “Of course I know who _are_ troublemakers who's _not_.”

It's Louis’ turn to snicker. “Okay,” he says softly.

The officer nods at him to tell him to go back to reading, which a while later Louis asks again, beaten with interest.

“Are you just gonna sit there and read?” He peeks up at him, not forgetting to add a “Sir?” behind.

“It's a good place to think, sometimes better than my own office. The library at the Dom Wing is not as cheery as here, too.” Harry replies, not looking up from his book, which title reads “ _Business and Money Laundering_ ”.

Louis nods again, finally devoting back to his book, butting down at his lips.

 

 >>>><

Harry brushes his long curls back and heaves a deep sigh, walking into the large conference room. He nods at Zayn who was sitting on the right side of the round table and sits down on the empty seat beside him. Harry is working late tonight, and it’s Friday, so the man is incredibly tired. However, he’s still glad to be able to have this meeting over with now.

Some people sitting around the table greets him with a murmur. Harry isn’t the most significant one in the group, but he’s close. There are wardens of other sites, his colleagues like Zayn the vice-warden, some other agents and of course his boss, the director of the Prison Department.

“Alright. Let’s not wait for Amanda, she said she would be running late. Let’s get started with this meeting.” Butterfield, the director, says once Harry sits down.

They take turns to report their duties and everything that is happening around the prisons. Harry cringes when he heard a brutal murderer who was sent to Maximum Security prison has beaten up one of the prison guards on her way into the cells. After the management PRs has reported via a very boring PowerPoint, all heads turn to Harry as it is his turn to report.

Harry starts with a little cough, “Things are going rather smooth for the inmates in Lennox, as always. This month, we have 3 new Submissives and released 5, 7 new Dominants and released 2. However, there is a case which I want to raise all of your attention. Zayn, if you please.” Harry motions his colleague to start rolling the slides.

Some officers look up from their phones finally, shifting their attention to Harry. Things at Lennox Prison for the BDSM Offenders are always peaceful, and nothing Harry couldn’t handle, so it’s unusual for them to hear that there is something happening.

“Right. I’m sure all of you remember almost a year ago, a couple was caught with submissive trafficking. The pair, namely Submissive Gerard Way and his Dominant Frank Iero both have 4 years left in my cell.” Harry points at the screen, as two mug shots pop up, “It was a blow to the society back then, because it’s the first time the police joined forces to crack down such a big business. We’ve always suspected that there is more to the story though, and as under Director Butterfield’s orders I further investigated the case. As of right now, we’re almost sure that besides submissive trafficking, it’s highly likely that they also hold a BDSM dungeon. Also, they certainly have partners to this crime who are still on the loose. Evidence is clear since this is a direct slip up from the Submissive himself, while he was ganging up with one of our fellow inmates.”

Harry finishes, looking up from his notes. Zayn sits back down beside him and Director Butterfield hums, his expression solemn.

“That is certainly a big breakthrough in ages, good job Harry. Right now we still don’t have solid evidence so we cannot take any actions yet, but keep an eye on the couple, and do report right immediately to me if there is any news. And how about the Dom? Has he said anything since?”

“Thank you, and will do, Sir.” Harry replies politely, “The Dom has been bahaving ridiculously well ever since he came in, very diverse from his Sub I’ll say. He’s very closed off too, but I’ll try my best. On the other hand, they are not exactly immensely rich to complete this kind of business, not even for submissive trafficking alone, so either they have a big supporter behind their back, or they managed to transfer the money elsewhere. And I’m reading up on criminal partnership.”

“Any idea on the structure of the BDSM dungeon, if there is one?” A blonde women with her ponytail high, who is sitting on the side, asks.

Harry nods at her, “We don’t know a lot, yet. They do sell off the Submissives they trafficked though, maybe even in an auction. We’re not sure if the Subs are treated nicely, but I highly doubt that because a lot we rescued from the trafficking are injured. That’s all I know, as it probably wasn’t an intended slip up from Way, he wasn’t intending to brag while he said that.”

“Great. Keep it up Styles. If you need any help it would be gladly offered, I think a few agents wouldn’t mind right? And how ‘bout we wrap up this meeting now, it’s gettin’ late.” The boss concludes.

>>>><

 

 

Louis stops in front of Officer Styles’ office door, fist hovering above it, contemplating whether to knock or not. Sure he can simply go ask Officer Malik, or even Niall, but he has a feeling it’ll be better talking to the warden instead.

He knocks on the door softly, and not a minute later, there is a deep voice calling out, “Come in.”

Louis takes a small breath and pushes open the door, stepping inside. Harry is facing down, laying his head against his folded arms, eyes closed and massaging his temple. He looks tired.

“Sir?” Louis calls softly.

Harry’s head snaps up, he looks genuinely surprised to see that it’s Louis, like he wasn’t expecting it to be him.

“Oh. Sit down please.” He gestures to one of the chairs in front of his desk. There are thick books piled up on the desk on one side, some open and scattering around randomly, and stacks of manilla folders on the other side casually filed into different magazine racks.

“Um. Are you alright, Sir?” Louis eyes the state of Harry’s office quizzically.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking. Just tired.” Harry sighs at the inmate’s question, he was a blink away from dozing off when the boy entered, really.

“Oh…” There is a little frown on Louis’ face, “Are you sure? It’s not good bottling something up.”

Harry shakes his head with a short laugh, (has this boy been seriously observing him, or is he just generally observative?) “Just a tacky case something. It’s not even about the prison, but somehow I’m responsible for it. There’s quite a number of innocent victims involved so I don’t want to fail it.” He says, without disclosing too much.

“Well, apparently you look for me for a reason. So what’s the matter, Louis?”

“Right.” Louis nods, biting his lips out of habit, “So I was wondering if I should throw out some really old magazines? Some of them are dated more than ten years ago and it’s not like anyone would read them anymore. I think Simon has mentioned something about this but he never got to do it.”

It takes a second for the warden to register the name “Simon”, but then he hums in approval. “Hmm, yeah sure. Those are occupying too much spaces anyways. Just none of us bother doing the job.”

“Okay, thanks Sir. That is actually the only thing I came here for, I’m sorry for bothering your rest.” Louis replies, suddenly conscious.

“It’s no bother,” Harry insists, “But as you’re here now, I might as well tell you this. Sometime around next month a book shop is donating their second-hand books to us, and I need you to put them into the system with a code. Is it okay? Simon has told you how to do it, right?”

“He did. And of course it’s okay. I'll do my best.” Louis nods, getting up to leave, “Uh Sir if there's nothing else…” He mumbles, just as the bell starts to ring.

Harry waves him away, “Go have your lunch.”

Louis smiles politely at the warden and walks towards the entrance. When he was about turn the doorknob, he hears a voice calling him back.

“Yes Sir?”

“Do you think you could help me with a bit of sorting? I figured you should be more familiar with these records stuffs.” Harry asks.

“Um.” The inmate just looks at him.

“I mean, like, it would take me an awful long time to sort out whether these books are useful or not, let alone this is only the very first step into solving the case. A bit silly but necessary. You just have to bookmark some pages into categories for me.” The warden hurries to explain, a bit flustered.

“Sir, are you sure this is appropriate?” Louis narrows his eyes and makes a face, “I’m a prisoner and such…”

Harry shakes his head, hiding a smile, “I assure you it’s fine as this isn’t confidential, these books are all from the library anyways. Just, I could use a little help.”

“Okay, then. Of course I can help.” Louis quickly agrees.

“Okay?”

The Submissive nods again, “When do you want me to start?”

“Just come whenever you’re free. After your shift at the library, of course.”

The library closes everyday on 5pm. Louis ponders for a short while, then he gives Harry an affirmative small smile. The officer finally thanks him and dismisses him again.

 

  
  
“Psst, Tomlinson.” Someone calls behind Louis when he is walking through a small corridor.

Louis halts in his tracks at the sound and turns around. He can only see Liam’s head peeking out from behind a corner, looking at him pointedly. Louis glances around and sees that there is no one else near them, so he raises an eyebrow and points at himself, as if to ask if Liam is referring to him.

Liam rolls his eyes and grips Louis’ bicep, quickly pulling him into the corner. Louis nearly lets out a squeal at the surprise, but Liam’s hand is already there covering his mouth to shush him.

“What do you want?” Louis huffs, shooting a stare at the man.

“Don’t be rude now, I’m actually being nice for once to tell you something.” Liam replies with the same cold tone, lowering his voice into a whisper, “Blue’s business partner is _here_. In the Dom Wing.”

Louis inhales sharply. “Wait, he has a business partner?”

“Damn well he does, or who will be his scapegoat? Shit, Blue really did locked you up, didn’t he?”  

The shorter lad looks down, strangely feeling saddened. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“No wonder you don’t know. You know no one actually. His name should start with an I, that’s all I know. You should’ve seen him at least if you came to the mansion inside a truck, he’s the driver. Do you recall?”

“Vaguely.”

“That’s good enough,” Liam nods once, “Anyways, be careful. Don’t know what that douche bag would be up to. And I’ve warned you already, don’t blame me if you got in any trouble.”

“How do you know he’s in the Dom Wing?” Louis asks.

“I have my ways.” Liam mumbles under his breath in annoyance, “Don’t ask me. I don’t tell lies, that’s it.”

The man left without saying a further word. Louis sighs and shakes his head, walking out of the shadows again. He has to be extra careful now, and he certainly cannot enter the Dom Wing no matter what. He can’t risk anything, even though he doubts the “partner” would really go after him.

He leans down to pick up his book which he has dropped in the middle of the strange visit by Liam. He walks towards Officer Styles’ office and sees that the door is closed. He knocks and there is no response. Assuming the guard is not here, he leans against the wall next to the door and waits patiently, flipping open his book.

A while later, he hears footsteps coming his way. He looks up and discovers that it’s indeed Officer Styles and the vice warden, Officer Malik.

“Those are quite a handful these days, not saying they weren’t before. One of them even flew something at my bum today, had to stop myself so hard not to just beat him up.” Harry’s voice carries down the hallway.

“At least they give you minimum respect! Look at me, if it’s not for my police stick they're already threatening to burn down the whole building. And worst, I believe they’re actually capable of doing that.” Zayn whines beside him, both not noticing Louis is standing there.

“Don’t know where the hell did they learn their manners, or those bullshit theories. I can’t wait to beat some sense into their heads, though I cannot do that. They are Doms, _I_ am a Dom, but I really can’t imagine their logic. Just think about how many Subs had suffered from them. It's horrid just to think of, isn't it? — oh hey Mr. Tomlinson — ” Harry pauses, finally acknowledging Louis’ presence, “Isn't it?”

“Sure Officer Styles,” Louis replies nonchalantly. Why did the officer needs his opinion.

“Well, see you Zayn, gotta get back at my work.” Harry waves two fingers at Officer Malik and unlocks the door to his office door with a key, “Come on in, Louis.”

The guard casually dumps the big chain of key into one of the already open drawers, smacking it shut with his hip. Louis sees that he has cleared up his desk a bit, the books now piled up neatly according to their sizes.

“Sorry that you’ll have to wait, when it’s me who requested you. There’s a bit of situation in the Dom Wing so I have to hurry there. You can take a seat on the recliner.” Harry motions to the sofa almost horizontal to his desk, on the other side.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? You look disoriented, and I need you to be focused to help me.” Harry flicks a glance at the Submissive after he has sat down.

Louis places his own book on his lap, and nods reassuringly, “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Good. Now you don’t have to do much, I’ll read the books and you just have to help me bookmark the pages where words are underlined, then sort them into different categories. Alright?” Harry passes him a few books and explains that those are what he finished the day before, and Louis sputters at the large amount of books that the officer could finish in _one day_ and has to balance the thick books in his dainty hands.

Harry shrugs a shoulder at him and grins, “Efficiency.” And of course, Louis thinks, he isn’t the warden for nothing.

“Is that the reason why we are banned from the Dom Wing and vice versa?” The inmate suddenly asks, remembering Officer Styles and Malik’s earlier conversation.

“Basically. You wouldn’t want to know how the Doms would fight for a Submissive, especially one like you.” Harry says without looking up, not noticing he lets it slips at the remark on Louis. “They’re here for punishment, not for pleasure.” He continues, “Just now they fought over a pack of Cheetos that someone sneaked in, pretty damn ridiculous if you ask me. Plus, most of them are here for abuse, we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen.”

“Can Doms be really jailed for abuse?” Louis wonders out loud, but mostly to himself.

“Of course, why not? They got it coming.” Harry shrugs, looking up from his book.

“But...What if no one reports them? Or can't?” Louis asks, attempting to act nonchalant.

“Well, I'm a strong believer that there is justice in this world. People will eventually pay for the wrongs they did.” Harry states.

“Some Doms abuses out of love, though. Sometimes their care for their Subs overwhelm them, and they use the wrong outlet of the emotions. Relax, Louis,” The man chuckles, “Only a very small portion of them do, others are legit abusers.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Even though we already live in a world where BDSM is the norm, that doesn't mean people are taught properly of how it should be. The trust and bond between both parties are equal and very important. If Subs correctly respect their Doms and Doms correctly treat their Subs, none of these would happen,” Harry twirls his fingers to gesture around the office, “This whole BDSM prison thing. Yet, some people live to their fifties and still don't know.”

“It sounds like our warden was raised well.” Louis daringly teases him.

“All thanks to mama Styles,” The officer just smiles sheepishly.

Louis chuckles. “Hey, maybe you should read more into the Dom and Sub dynamics, if you’re already so familiar with this. Maybe you're going to find new things when your topic is criminal relationships." He jokes.

Harry, however, takes it seriously, "Y'know what, that is a good suggestion.

 

 

Strangely though, Liam starts to join in at Louis and Josh’s table after one day when he couldn’t find an empty seat in the canteen. After that, he just didn’t leave, even though he deliberately showed that he’s not one to get close in the first place.

They welcome him like any other people, prison is a place where you don’t question other inmates. Besides, no one knows Liam knew Louis before. The former might be one of the risks to Louis that all his secrets (that he wished to keep them that way) would be exposed, but Louis trusts that Liam won’t tell a soul: he won’t bother to. Liam doesn’t say much, he just sits there and eat, devouring all the food regardless of their tastes.

Josh is telling Louis about how he would try to look for work in woodshop, which is what he is doing in the prison, when he gets out. (Incidentally, Louis still doesn't know how much time the other Sub has left.) But he was telling Louis that has got to start planning, or he’s going to end up worse than he was before prison, now with no Dom. Louis can tell Josh doesn't plan on searching for a partner yet, given the tragic outcome of his last Dom, at least not one who is rich and arrogant.

Louis nods along to the conversation, picking at his food on the plastic tray. Josh has become much more cooperative these days, which does shocks some of the guards. To be honest, Louis could say he’s happy for him too. Liam nudges at his elbow.

Louis turns towards the man, only to find him staring into space. “Who are you staring at?” He asks.

“Why is that guy staring at you?”

Frowning at Liam’s question, Louis looks towards the direction that he is looking at.

And then he sees a certain Dana Vaughns looking right back at him. Louis curses under his breath, he thought the guy should already be transferred.

“You know him?” Liam says in a more alarmed tone. Josh turns to look as well, but of course he doesn't know what is happening.

“You don't?” Liam just shakes his head, looking more and more confused.

“Once in a lifetime I know someone but you don’t.” Louis chuckles, but his tone isn't at all joking.

“I think he used to be in my place, he's one of master’s favourite boy toys. When he left the mansion, it's was right when I came, and I replaced him.” He murmurs in a low whisper, not wanting anyone else to overhear them.

“He left, just like that?” Liam sputters in disbelief.

“You bet he did. Oh shit, he is coming our way.” Louis curses again when he sees Dana slowly making his way towards their table.

Josh is looking up at the broad lad with guarded eyes, although he doesn't know what does he have to do with Louis and possibly Liam, he knows the fellow Sub isn't as nice as they come. Louis subconsciously shifts a bit closer to Liam.

Dana stops at the table, his figure hovering over the three sitting Subs. “You. Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Louis manages.

“I recognize you, you're the new boy toy. And hiya to you too, Payne.”

Liam’s actions at once are defensive. “I didn't know you.” He spits.

The guy smirks, “Sure you don’t, macho boy. I keep an eye on everything, I never left, or where else do you think I steal from?”

“If you know then why are you even talking to us? What I chose is none of your business.” Louis speaks up.

“Oh, so you think we went through somehow the same thing means I'll sympathize you? Then you're very wrong, kid.” Dana shrugs, blatantly ignoring the lad’s question, “You're just a copy of me, and many other boys will be a copy of you too. Don’t think you can really escape from it, just look at me. One day like now you'll meet a replacement of yourself, and you’ll realise you've never escaped from _his_ control.”

“If that's what you think, keep it to yourself, stranger.” Liam cuts in.

“What's even going on?” Josh asks on the other side in utter confuse.

But Louis just stares at the older Sub standing above him. “I’m not at all interested in what you have to say, and I don’t want any trouble. Leave us be.” He doesn’t care if he’s a little bit rude, if it’s what it takes for his peace.

Dana has no intention to leave the scene though, he steps closer to Louis, forcing Louis to almost have to look straight up to me. Louis hates it like this, makes him feel powerless.

“Oi. Didn’t you hear him? He doesn’t want you here. We could call the guards, they are standing right here.” The blond threatens, standing up from the bench.

Louis shoots him a warning look and shakes his head, pushing at the table to stand up as well. Dana shifts his attention back on the apparently shorter boy.

“Did he do to you what he did to me? Did he make so much damage that he laughs at you, how pathetic you look? Did your screams wake everyone in the mansion? Did he use knives, chains, whips, belts, everything else?” Louis flinches hard at the words, his grip on the edge of the table turning white, as images of the past years come flashing before his eyes again: stained bed sheets, ripped skin, broken glasses, red from his bruises, red from his blood —

Louis steadies himself, forcing himself to not to close his eyes. He hears Liam making a small sound of discomfort -maybe?- , he ignores it and takes a deep breath, looking away from the man’s piercing gaze.

Said man sneers, “I hate his guts, I hate that Blue took away everything I’ve ever had. But I bet you secretly like it though, like how he would slice you up, or fuck the submission into you.”

Louis’ breath hitches in horror, he gasps, “That's not true! I never wanted that. How could you say such a thing? I thought you out of all people would understand.”

Dana shakes his head, letting out a cold chuckle, “Don't be daft, kid. You look too innocent, and I hate innocent. Everyday I wake up and I live in his shadows. How does it feel, huh, to have your whole life and innocence and trust ripped out from you? Seeing you just makes me hate this all over again.” He inches in closer, his breath travelling down Louis’ neck. Louis hates this, the other lad is also a Sub, he hates casting his head down before the power.

The man gets closer just to whisper into the shell of Louis’ ears, so that no one not even Liam could hear. He likes to tease. He’s just an evil heart, that is. “Did he call you his cockslut when he fucked your mouth? Because he did to me. Did he call you beautiful when he raped you? Because he did to me. You’re just a toy, after all. You are nothing but a piece of shit to him. But I bet you like it, you masochistic lil’ shit, do you like the unbearable pain, _pretty boy_?”

And then Louis flips. He takes a few steps back almost a feet back. And he slaps Dana, hard. The man’s head snaps to a side because of the power of the hit, he ignores the sting and turns back, staring into Louis’ fiery eyes with his own. Ushered tears starts to form in Louis’ eyes, making them water, but he refuses to let them fall.

“I’m not! I’m not everything you said. I _never_ enjoyed a single moment of it!” He shouts, his chest heaving up and down.

“So he did called you that, huh?” The man narrows his eyes, a smirk creeping up half of his face.

“Yes and I never wanted to remember any of them!” Louis chokes out, “Please don’t make me do this. The past remains in the past. You had a better chance at escaping than me, why are you lingering back?”

“You can never escape, no matter where you go. I was nothing before him, and now I'm even more nothing without him. He will find you and the memories will haunt you!” Dana shoots back.

A tear escapes from the corner of Louis’ eye. He bites down harshly on the inside of his cheeks. He knows Dana only wants rile him up, and sadly, he’s falling into it. His only _weakness_ , Dana knows it.

“ _Why?_ ”

“I hate that you remind me so much of myself, I wish that I was once again the daisy fresh boy before I met him, before he went and ruined my life for me. I hate that you’re could have a better life after prison. I hate that you can move on. You deserve to be ruined too, because he ruins everyone.” Dana answers the implied question, shrugging smugly.

Louis takes a shaky breath and stares intensely into the other lad’s eyes. They’re filled with anger, fear, and uncertainty. His face only speaks that he is trying so hard to let go. But he doesn’t have to do this. He doesn’t have the right to hurt Louis, just because Louis is ruined “enough” in his opinion. He challenges him through his gaze, daring to say the next thing.

Louis’ grip leaves the table, falling down to his sides, forming into a fist. He doesn’t notice that Liam has quietly left the scene already, saving himself from trouble. He doesn’t notice some officer have started to gather at the scene, preparing themselves for any possible fights. They could see the bigger male is seemingly harassing their inmate. Once the former strikes they are going to hoist him away.

“So tell me everything, _beauty_ . Tell me every single little cruelty he has done to you so that I can take away your innocence for you, _pretty boy_.” Dana grips at the front of Louis’ shirt.

Louis lets out a loud wail, pushing the man’s body away from him. His breath is coming out in short heaves, his shoulders hunched, his palms balled into a fist. Dana attempts to open his mouth to speak. Louis knows what he’s going to say.

Officers begins to circle them in, behind their backs gingerly.

The more petite boy lifts his arms up, at the same time he hears those words that may haunt him forever, “That's what you ever will be, _pretty boy_.”

Louis whimpers. Out of the corner of his view, Harry’s eyes are the last thing he sees before he swings down a punch.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  This is so shitty, and short, and I hate to disappoint. but I covered enough things.  
>  
> 
> kudos and comments get me going :))


	4. Solace (Part 1.3)

Heated tears rolls down Louis’ cheeks as the boy reluctantly let them slip past, hiding his head in between his arms and laying them on top of his knees, shaking uncontrollably. He hates himself, he hates that he's so goddamn weak, he hates that he causes trouble again. Oh god everyone must hate him now.

He doesn't mean to keep things hidden, he wishes he could tell someone the truth. But he can't, he can't let any risks happen now. He can't trust anyone now. Louis keeps trembling and whimpering into his knees, catching and choking on his breath countless times, he feels like he can't breath, he can't move, all he could do is to there here, as helplessly as before.

The guards didn’t even grab him, they just hauled Dana away by his feet from where he fell on the ground from the force of the punch. And before anyone said anything, Louis is already brushing past them and rushing into his own cell in disappointment (mostly at himself), collapsed on the bed and feeling really bad, although he knows he wasn’t the one at fault here.

Harry is walking briskly to his cell right after Louis had run off, not because he thinks the inmate deserves lecture though, he just simply wants to check on him and lets him explain his actions, because from the small excerpt he heard from Louis and the other guy’s argument, it is clear that Louis is being attacked.

He pushes the ajar door open wider and steps inside, closing it behind him as he supposes privacy would be the better choice. The Submissive inmate immediately snaps his head up to the intruder at the sound, looking startled and almost - relieved? - to see that it is Harry.

“I’m sorry,” Louis blurts out, “I didn’t mean it.”

Harry notices the wet state of Louis’ face. He gingerly steps closer to the bed, holding Louis’ gaze all the way. Louis’ eyes follow his every movement until he leans against the small bedside table, looking at him guardedly.

“No you’re not.” Harry shakes his head, “Tell me why you are crying.”

He watches as the Sub widens his eyes before letting out a gasp, curling even more into himself and shaking his head. Tears begin to pool in his eyes again, seconds before spilling all over again. Harry starts feeling bad, so he coaxes, in a softer tone, “You were doing so well all along. So what triggers you, Louis?”

“W-What he said.”

“Okay,” Harry nods slowly, “I didn’t manage to hear all of your conversation. Could you tell me what Vaughns means when he said those things to you? From what I heard they’re pretty nasty and violent.”

Louis sniffs, “I can’t. C-Can’t tell you much.”

“And why is that?” Harry continues in the gentle, nonchalant tone, moving from the table to sit beside Louis’ withering form on the bed. Louis makes a whimpering noise in his throat and covers his mouth with the back of his palm, keeping as quiet as he could because he doesn’t want to sob out loud in front of people.

Seeing the inmate fails to answer, the warden decides to press harder, “Is it what he calls you? Someone’s pretty boy?”

At that Louis flinches hard, so hard that the frail bed shakes. A distraught wail falls from his mouth, as he gasps at Harry with absolute panic and terror in his eyes. Harry immediately freaks, not knowing merely two words could cause such a big damage. He hurries to apologize, but before he could speak, Louis is already breaking down right in front of him.

The Dom watches as his inmate’s breath comes out in short pants, tears running down his face that he doesn’t even have the time to wipe before they come rushing out again. The boy bites down harshly on his lip, trying to calm himself down but apparently to no avail. He sobs and sobs into his palms, every cry filled with so much pain that Harry’s heart skip a beat at every single one. His body quivers violently, so hard that Harry’s sure that the boy is going to faint right there or goes into a panic attack, or he’s already having one.

The warden goes into alarm mode at once, his gaze flickering to the door. There probably are a bunch of idle guards outside, and they could handle such situations much better than him. But then his eyes trails to the Sub again, seeing him tearing harshly on his sleeves, chanting things under his breath that Harry couldn’t hear. And he looks so _broken_ , so _hurt_ , and small. Harry can’t help but wonder what on earth has happened to him before, what has made him so fragile that a simple nickname could send him melting. And he blames himself for being so careless, triggering an inmate is the last thing he, especially an officer, wants.

Harry frowns, moving closer to the depressed Sub. “Y’know I don’t usually do this but... _Come here_.” He says, opening his arms.

What he doesn’t expect is that Louis immediately leaps into his lap, letting out heart-wrenching cries against his neck. It takes Harry a moment to register this, but then almost by instinct he wraps his arms around the torso, pulling his inmate closer. He awkwardly tries to rub at Louis’ back to calm him down, shushing him quietly.

It pains him to even choke out a cry. Every breath he takes trembles out him like a storm, but slowly his shoulders are less tensed as they were before. He slumps slightly, loosening his tight grip on the warden’s uniform. It is probably all wrinkled now, if not wet.

He murmurs louder this time, loud enough for Harry to hear, about what he has been repeating to himself for the past few minutes, “Please don’t call me pretty boy, I’m no one’s pretty boy.”

Harry’s hands still at the back on Louis’ neck (which he has been unconsciously caressing at the baby hair growing on Louis’ nape), glancing down. “I’m so sorry. It's really unprofessional of me, I should’ve been more careful with my words.” He murmurs back, but with all sincerity, feeling legitimately guilty.

Louis breathes out, panic settling in the deep pit of his stomach, but it doesn't take over him like a minutes ago. “It’s okay, you were just doing your job,” He pauses, a blush firing up his cheeks, “Um. T-Thank you.”

Louis carefully removes himself from Harry’s lap, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He reaches towards the table to grab a tissue to wipe his face, sniffing. He looks down again, refusing to meet the officer’s burning gaze.

“He knows by saying those things he could rile me up, but I still fall for it like always.” Louis squeaks, more to himself than to Harry.

Harry sighs through his nose silently, swallowing past an uneasy lump in his throat. “Well he’s the cruel one then. I witnessed it with my own eyes this time, and it's not your fault. You won’t be punished.”

Louis peeks up at him with a slightly surprised look, “I won't be punished?”

The Dominant shrugs, “Well we did grab him, not you. I was not here to give you a scolding, I just simply wanted to know what happened. Did you know Vaughns before?”

Louis gives him a curt nod, saying reluctantly, “Yes I do. Only vaguely though. He doesn't actually have much to do with me.”

“But he seems to know a lot about you.” Harry points out.

Louis sighs, “It's very complicated, Sir. But not really relevant to any one of our offences.” He chews at the inside of his cheeks, hoping that the officer will soon drop the subject.

Harry clenches his jaw in frustration. The Sub is definitely holding back something, too much for the warden’s liking. It’s either a really private and untouchable subject or he is up to something. Harry tends to believe in the former, though, a close panic attack can't be faked. Judging by Tomlinson’s reaction, it's pure, genuine emotions.

So he settles on, “Let me look at your knuckle.”

Louis gives him a weird look, but nonetheless wordlessly hands over his palm into the warden’s awaiting ones. There’s only a tiny scratch on the thin skin, from where it cuts peripherally at Dana’s face. No biggie.

Harry turns it over, examining it a bit too close to his face.

“You should be okay, it's just a scratch. If it hurts too much, it might be sprained, head to the nurses if that happens.”

“Okay. Thank you, Sir.”

“Don't get into trouble again, alright? You don't want to do chores, right?”

“I didn't even start it, Sir.”

“I know,” Harry groans, “I’m just telling you to stick with the decent group. Don't mess with the troublemakers, or you’ll become one.”

“Okay.” Louis wants to roll his eyes, but he restrains himself from doing so, “Sir.”

“Good,” Harry comments, “Now I’ll leave you to your rest. It’s late.”

Louis sighs deeply to himself, bidding an awkward goodbye to the officer. He didn't even realize how exhausted he is from the shock earlier until now. He looks at himself in the tiny mirror, cringing at how horrid he looks after crying. And now he has embarrassed himself all over again.

Harry walks out of the tiny cell, immediately greeted by a bunch of his colleagues standing on guard. Their jaws drop to see Harry coming out with the front of his shirt all wrinkled and still slightly damp.

“Don't ask.” Harry sighs at them, shaking his head.

 

  
  
The next day goes on with Louis tiredly sorting the books into the book shelves, sliding them back into where they belong. He didn't have a very good night’s sleep the night before, just as he has expected.

Halfway through his shift, he plops down onto his chair behind the counter, his eyelids one second away from dropping shut. He looks around, Josh nowhere to be found. His friend would usually be here in their newfound heaven, lounging around. Louis hides his head in between his folded arms on the table.

“Oi mate, y’alright there?” Louis raises his head up at the voice, to Josh peering down at him from above the desk.

“ ‘M fine, just tired.” replies Louis lousily.

Josh gives him a sympathetic smile, saying, “We couldn't see anything that happened after the fight, since the guards are all ushering us back into our cells. Did you get told off? ‘Cause I really hope not because it shouldn't be your fault.”

Louis shakes his head, a coy smile playing on his face, “Nah. Mister warden was nice enough to me last night. I still can't see how frightening you guys claim he is.”

“Eh, maybe he’s only nice to you.” He then drops his voice into a lower whisper, “So did you know that guy? He shouldn't be harassing you like that.”

“Of course he shouldn't.” Louis scoffs, “I knew him, barely. And I don't want him to be ever mentioned again.”

“Alright.” Josh nods, understanding, “But is he holding anything against you? Should I watch out for you?”

“No no no, Joshie no,” Louis protests, once he gets what Josh is meaning, “Don't you dare get into any fights for me. I’ll be okay if he never bothers me again.”

Out of the corner of Louis’ eyes, he sees someone walking towards the counter. It is the long-haired mental dude he saw on his second day here, which feels like months ago really, when it’s only been a bit over four weeks. He has no book in his hands.

“Aye Lewis,” The man claps a hand down on the wooden desk, neglecting the conversation going on between Louis and Josh.

“Oh. Hey man, you’re let out finally?” Josh greets him nonchalantly, not so happy that he got rudely interrupted.

“I was never locked in.” The guy states matter-of-factly. He turns to Louis again, “Aye mate. Saw what you did last night. The — ” He mimics the sound of throwing a punch, swinging his fists forward as if he is fighting air. “ — fighting! That was brave, dude.”

Louis cringes and mentally groans out of embarrassment. He and Josh shares a look over the counter out of the long-haired inmate’s sight, both having a sort of grimace on their faces. Josh rolls his eyes.

“Thank you, I guess.” Louis mumbles back awkwardly.

“After all, you and I are not so different,” The man sends a secretive wink towards Louis’ direction.

Louis is dumbfounded, _what the hell does that mean?_ The people here in prison are certainly weird. And he is not so sure it’s a good weird or bad weird.

The guy turns around and makes his way to the exit, waving two fingers as adios as he turns his back towards his fellow inmates. Josh points a thumb towards his direction, “Such a strange one, isn't he? What's his name, ah yeah, Kurt. When I first came in, I always thought he is high on drugs or something.”

“Oh yeah? I haven't yet really figured out how people in prison works.”

“Believe me,” Josh chuckles, “You’ll never be able to get it. Just stick to yourself and the ones you’re close with. It works with those who would stay for a long time, like me, to keep our sanity and sense of reality.”

“Believe me,” Louis echoes, “It’s not like the real world is anyway more sane.”

“As they say — We’re all mad here,” The blind man smirks down at him, “C’mon, isn't your shift over already? Let’s walk back together.”

Louis nods and gets up, putting everything back in their places. As usual, the library closes at 5pm, and it’s Louis’ job to lock the doors and drop the keys off at the reception. After he has done both, their conversation has already steered to quiet gossip about the other inmates. Normally both of them couldn't care more, but prison is boring and you have to create the fun yourself, or it’s going be hard.

“See you later,” Josh calls after Louis as he enters his own cell. Louis hums back a response and slowly strolls to his, which is on the other side of the block, in the quieter area.

Once he enters his room, he remembers he is supposed to go to Officer Styles’. Sighing, he sits down on his bed and decides against going; Officer Styles has told him to come by whenever, so Louis supposes it’s not that much of an obligation. He is incredibly tired and doesn't want to move, and he isn't that ready to see the warden again after last night, though he doesn't know why.

So Louis lies down on the mattress, above the covers, spreading his legs and cushioning his head above his arms. He stares up at the ceiling, at the white tube of fluorescent light, at the paint flaking off the walls, and enjoys the peace.

 

Louis doesn't even realize he has fallen asleep midway, until he hears a bell ringing. He opens his eyes groggily and yawns, looking to the clock on his bedside drawer. It has already passed the time for dinner, so Louis presumes the bell that has just rung is the bell to signal the end of dinner. As if on cue, his stomach grumbles loudly.

Louis heaves a deep sigh and curls his body into a ball, closing his eyes again. Fuck dinner, he has got used to not being given any meals a long time ago.

A small knock on his cell door wakes him up again (maybe he hasn't yet fallen asleep yet, who knows?). Louis bites his lips to stop a groan from falling out and sits up, hands immediately going to fix his (possible) bed hair. He twists open the handle, letting whoever is outside to come in. His eyes widen when he sees green eyes and a head of curls.

Louis takes a few steps aside, “Officer.”

“Good evenings,” The warden greets, ever polite.

Louis nods awkwardly, sitting back down on his bed, letting his eyes wander everywhere except directly at Harry’s. “Uh, Sir, sorry I didn't come today. I-I fell asleep.” He mumbles, hiding the fact that he just didn't want to go.

Harry hums, buying the lie nevertheless of the stuttering. “It’s not a duty anyways. I was expecting you to not come, in fact, I thought you would need more rest after last night’s incident.”

Louis blushes immediately at the words, either from embarrassment that Harry could say it as if it’s just a daily occurrence, or something else he can't fathom. “O-Oh. Then for what matter do you have to see me?”

“Just wanna chat and know more,” Harry says in a neutral and nonchalant tone. Louis hates it, he knows the officer is up to something that he would not like. “I notice you’re not at dinner tonight. Fell asleep?”

The heat on Louis’ cheeks only deepens, “Not hungry.” He meekly says. However, his stomach has to fail him again, it grumbles in protest. Louis squeals, immediately covering his stomach with his arms.

Harry narrows his eyes at the noise. “Well I don't think so.” He says in utter amusement, his tone joking.

“How do you know I'm not at dinner?” Louis asks instead, attempting to change the subject.

Harry, apparently, is not impressed. He raises an eyebrow. “Don't steer the attention away from yourself, Tomlinson. And like I said, I was hoping to talk to you.”

The bell rings again, it’s time for the meditation session. Louis gets up.

A hand is held out in front of him, stopping him from standing up. Louis looks up to Officer Styles. The warden bites his lips, “No, you’re excused for tonight. You need the rest.”

Louis purses his lips in defeat, sitting down again. “But don't you have to go too?”

“Niall’s at it tonight.” The warden explains briefly.

“Okay…” Louis mumbles, watching as the guard digs his hands into the pocket of his pants, pulling out two bars of Jacob’s Club.

“Here you go. It’s not much, but still.” Harry hands the chocolate biscuits to Louis.

Louis takes them a bit too gladly, looking at Harry again shyly. “Do you always carry around treats for your prisoners like that?”

The Dominant just smiles at him, shrugs and not saying anything. Louis unwraps the bars and takes an experimental bite. He moans in delight once he chews on it. “Whoa, haven't had one in so damn long.”

“Oh, um, Sir? I, uh, have to thank you again for last night. For, y’know, helping me calm down and all.” Louis stutters out.

“It’s totally my fault that I caused this mess on you, that was totally uncalled for, so it was the least thing I could do as an apology.” Harry admits, brushing his curls behind his ear, “Besides, it’s my job to keep an eye on my prisoners…”

“I know sometimes I tend to talk too much, or speak when I'm not supposed to. So I'm really sorry for acting out, _again_ , last night.” Louis shifts uneasily, still beating himself up.

“It’s not your fault.” Harry shakes his head, insisting, “I am a very strict guard, but I'm not heartless. No one blames you. You have all the rights to speak, as long as you're not insulting, harassing, or disobeying. Everyone inmate should be valued here. I talk for the longest time, too.”

“So I've heard.” Louis remarks, giggling a bit.

Harry chuckles as well, “But really, I would like to know what is going on last night. Or even, last time. As an officer, I'm sure it’s not a normal occurrence. You are normally very well-behaved, so something must have gone wrong.”

“I’m triggered, that's it. Something they said brings back bad memories, and I lost it. I'm sorry, I couldn't say much.”

“And why couldn't you say much?” The warden is listening much more intently now.

“Just. I _couldn't_. It’s not like I don't want to, I just can't afford to think back again. I swear I haven't done anything illegal though. I'm not – I'm not hiding anything that could keep me in prison longer,” Louis utters out, “even though I somehow wish I can stay in prison for as long as I would like to. Wait. Forget I said that.”

“No,” Harry protests, “I can tell this is important. Please tell me, you don't have to worry about the consequences.”

Louis grimaces, “I have already said too much, in fact. No one is supposed to know, Dana has already said too much.”

“He said about chains and whips and beatings, does that have to do with anything?” Harry points out, then he sucks in a deep breath, “Wait. It’s not you, is it? Please don't tell me you are hurting anyone.”

“I’m — What?” Louis exclaims, “No Sir, in no way I'm doing anything to anyone. I'm not hurting anyone. Quite the opposite, really.”

“The opposite?”

“Oh fuck, no,” Louis gasps, suddenly realizing what he has said, “I fucked up bad. I'm not supposed to say anything more. Please don't pressure me into anything, Sir.”

“What. What’s going on? I’m not. You’re not making any sense now, Louis.” The warden says, finding it hard to follow on what the Submissive is saying.

“Just don't ask me. Ask Liam, or Dana, or whatever. Not me.” Louis blurts out.

“Liam, as in the new Sub Liam Payne? Why should I ask them? So you indeed knew them before? What relationship do you have with them?” Harry’s frown deepens.

Louis groans loudly, then covers his face with his two palms. “ _No!_ ” He says in an almost pained tone, “Why on earth am I telling you this? I really don't need anyone getting into my business and disrupting the peace.”

“Louis! Calm down.” The officer urges, “You need to tell me clearly what the heck is going on. What and why can't you tell me? And what does that have to do with Mr. Payne or Vaughns?”

“I can't.”

“You can. You can trust me, okay?” Harry keeps his voice down, in a gentler tone. He uses his skill to try persuading the inmate, hoping it could make him spill all the beans as it works with other inmates.

“ _I can't trust anyone_ ,” Louis deadpans. “At least not yet, nor will I be trusting _anyone_ anytime soon.”

Then he sighs, rubbing a hand over his face, saying in an annoyed tone, “Why do you want to know?”

“I'm very interested,” Harry replies, “And now you are certainly hiding something. It just makes everything more suspicious.”

“I'm avoiding something, yes. But it is just something small and irrelevant. Me and Dana were just having a small disagreement.”

“But you punched him.” Harry states.

Louis shuts his eyes in frustration. “Fine, if you really wanna know. But it’s something really unimportant, Officer Styles. Me and Dana Vaughns, whom I really barely knew, used to have the same master. I’m not sure if Liam is owned by him too, but he works for my ex-Dom.”

“Your past Dominant, meaning who — ”

“No.” Louis almosts physically stops the officer, “Please don't make me say his name.”

Harry looks at him weirdly. “You sure though? Not many Dominants have multiple Subs.”

“He has loads, don't ask me how.” Louis grits out, “In fact, don't ask me ever again. Just forget anything I said tonight. I'm begging you.”

“I’ll try. Do you need any help? You seem very troubled by this.” Harry attempts suggesting.

“Absolutely not. Just leave it alone, Sir, at least on this matter which doesn't even matter. Any help would just bring in more trouble for me. I really, really want my peace in prison.”

“If you say so. Just remember you can always come to the officers for help, in case you change your mind.” Harry finishes, sensing the inmate’s distress as the moment goes on. He breathes out slowly, deciding against further asking when Louis starts gripping at the hem of his sleeves.

Harry just hopes whatever the Submissive is hiding, it is really irrelevant as he claims and not illegal. Or he could have prevented anything bad. Because he really doesn't have the heart to press harder when Louis is being like this. The warden is sure every Submissive inmate must have looked fragile at some point, but there’s something heavy behind Louis’ words that made him halt.

  
  
  


Louis is relieved that he doesn't have to say anything more, because once again he wants to escape and goes to a place where he can be left alone with his own thoughts, then it will be peaceful and no one will ever dare try to make him think about the past he left behind again.

So when Harry has left the cell, he goes to bed and falls into a dreamless sleep again, hugging the blanket close to himself.

For he knows, the next day will roll in just like any other day before, like nothing has happened. You could start anew everyday, people in prison just won't care enough what is going on and still talk to you all the same.

At lunch, Louis sits with Josh and James, another inmate they met sometime ago. A while later, a small lad with platinum blonde hair and black eyeliner walks hesitantly to their table. Louis recognizes him as one of the three dudes who tackled him into a fight when he was here in merely his first week.

Louis frowns. _What does he want now?_

Before Louis has a chance to speak, the lad opens his mouth first. “Um, look mate, I wanna talk to you. It won’t be long I promise.”

Louis’ frown deepens. He surveys the lad’s face, seeing the raw sincerity in it. “What about? And make it quick as well.”

“Thank you so much,” The guy says, “I came here just to apologize for whatever trouble I have caused you in the past month. I can't believe I've just realized how much of an asshole I was and how stupid I was to befriend the Way brothers, even though I knew they were trouble. I swear I'm not friends with them anymore, I am sincerely so sorry for what I've done.”

“Are you sure this is not a joke or a prank for something? You are being serious?” Louis regards him, skeptically.

“Yes!” The inmate hurries to say, “I’m genuinely very sorry for my mistakes. You don't have to forgive me, I just want to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I've said to you, or do to you. I was rude and stupid. I always knew what we did was wrong and actually damaging.”

“Then why did you still do it, if you know it isn't right?” Louis asks again, a little bit hurt.

“I followed those two douchebags around just to avoid being the victim of their bullying instead. I was so stupid because becoming a bully just like them is the last thing I should do. I'm truly sorry that I didn't realized how wrong I was sooner. I've definitely cut all ties with them right after I understood this.” The lad looks down at his feet, utterly ashamed.

Louis looks into his demeanour and decides that this guy is genuine with his apologies. What he did was very wrong and unfair to Louis, and just because he doesn't want to get hurt is that much of a good reason for him to hurt others instead. But he looks truly sorry, and Louis isn't one to hold grudges anyways (besides that monster he calls his master, at least).

“Okay, I believe you. And I forgive you as well, just don't do it again and don't stick around with those guys anymore.” He says.

The guy snaps his head up in surprise, his eyes widening. “Y-You’d forgive me? Even after all I've done to you?”

Louis almost wants to say that he's been through much, much more worse, but that's not necessary. So he just smiles at the other inmate, “Yeah. Just be nice, okay?”

The other Sub nods his head fervently. Louis sticks out a hand towards him, “Well, then. M’Name’s Louis.”

The platinum blonde Sub shakes it with gratefulness in his eyes, replying with, “Dalton.”

Josh suddenly speaks up from Louis’ side, “Y'know, buddy, I know that feeling too. When I first came in I was also in the Way brothers’ clique for a little while, before I decide they're not good people to mingle with. I left too, just like you do.”

Dalton gives him a thankful smile, shifting between his legs awkwardly. Louis tilts his head towards the empty seat beside James, gesturing the inmate to take a seat. Dalton sits down.

“Hey...I'm just curious, but is it something we said that triggered you?” The lad innocently asks.

Louis bites at the inside of his lips, shoving a lukewarm broccoli into his mouth, “Technically yes, I'm sorry but you guys just kept provoking me so my brain told me I had to do something, so the first instinct is fighting back. I don't really want to talk about the reason behind the trigger though.”

Dalton gives him another guilty look, saying sympathetically, “It’s okay, I understand. I'm sorry for being so intrusive back then again.”

“It’s fine, you apologized, didn't you?” Louis chuckles kindly.

  


>>>><

“Um, Officer Styles, here is something we managed to dig out of one of Frank Iero’s past designated trafficking driver. Maybe you’d like to have a look?” A relatively younger officer approached Harry at his office, carrying a small stack of paper against his chest.

Harry only glances up swiftly, before flipping another page in his notebook that he kept for drawing mind maps for cases, “Thank you, Lucas. Just put it down, that’ll be fine.”

The officer, Lucas, gingerly places the file on top of Harry’s desk then quietly makes an exit of himself. Harry mutters out a farewell, before continuing to scribble down random pieces of information into his notebook. So far it has just been loose threads for this particular big case, so to say Harry is a bit frustrated is an understatement.

It has been five months since the police decides to restart the investigation on Frank Iero and his Submissive Gerard Way, after coming to enough proof that is definitely something more to what the couple has claimed to be committing. Harry sighs, rubbing his temple with his index and thumb, blindly reaching out for the paper that Lucas has just left him.

His gaze flickers over the packed document, scanning through the apparent statement that a man, who is allegedly one of the drivers who used to drive the vans which were to illegally carry the Submissives, has made. It must have taken a lot of bribing, it seems.

The driver gives out quite a bit of information, but most of them are repetitive with other witnesses’ and to be honest, Harry has read the similar things over hundreds times already that he could almost recall them straight from his memory.

However, just as the warden is about to put away the file, a certain something caught his attention. This driver has managed to remember the code of the bank account that he received his pay checks from. Harry immediately flips to the page of the appendix, hoping he could find something/someone new related this particular bank account.

Harry’s eyes go wide as saucers as he sees a name that has never popped up before appears right next to the mandatory “Mr. Frank Iero”.

 

 **Account holder:** _Mr. Frank Anthony Iero, Mr. Blue Avery Jones_

 **Last date of transaction:** _October 15, 2011_

 

 _Blue Jones_...This name sounds vaguely familiar. Harry wonders where on earth has he heard of it, he racks his brain and yet he couldn't yet think of a place. And 2011, that was right before Iero and his Sub were caught.

The officer sighs loudly, holding his head again. Sure this quite of a huge step since how they have a new suspect of who have a great chance of being involved in the Submissive trafficking business, and maybe even more. However, there are so many “Blue Jones” in this world, plus he must have kept himself well/hidden. This is a lead, but it is almost equivalent to no leads at all.

Harry already has a feeling that this isn't the first time he has seen the name _Blue Jones_ , certainly won't be the last as well. This is only the start.

>>>><

  


It’s only two days later does Louis see Harry again. This time, Harry finds himself walking towards the Submissive cells, after a long day at the Dominant Wing. And before he knows it, he is already brought to one of the doors by his feet.

Harry sighs — it seems that sighing is all he has been doing the past two months — raising his fist to softly knock on the door. He fixes at the miscellaneous junks he carries around his belt.

The door clicks open shortly after, revealing a small boy peeking through the gap between the door. Louis’ eyes only widen slightly when he sees who is it, then he is already opening his door wider, letting the officer in. The Submissive raises an eyebrow, silently questioning the warden’s sudden appearance.

“Why do you keep coming back, Officer Styles? Seeing you in my cell is almost all I did the past two days.” Louis teases, an amused smile lingering on his lips.

Harry gives him a faint smile. He shrugs, “It just kinda happened. Had an absolute shit day at the Doms, then I was passing by here as well. So, why not pay you a visit?”

“I hope you’re not talking to me about _that_ subject again, because I won't be telling you anything.” Louis announces bluntly.

Harry is quick to shake his head no. “Nah, I won't press further if you don't want to. I won't be able to get anything out of you anyway. I just pop in to escape from a few minutes of guarding.”

“Oh…How's it like at the Dominant Wing?”

“You really are so curious, aren’t you? Well the Dom Wing is constant chaos, mostly the Doms fighting over silly things and forming cliques. And we’re always there as peacemakers.” Harry explains.

“Oh, is it? Then what has got all the guards so worked up over it?” Louis asks, confused.

Sighing, the warden says, “For y’know, the Doms that get locked here are not necessarily good ones. There’s flaws in the laws, most Doms managed to get away with their wrongdoings. Only troublesome Doms are locked up, some of them are rapists.”

Louis gasps softly under his breath. “Oh god. How do you guys manage?”

“It would need us one hell of a time to knock some senses into their heads, even though most of the time to no avail. But at least they won’t harm as much people when they’re locked up this way. When you go into the Dom Wing they look at you like prey, Niall once told me. After that he avoids going in as much as possible and almost begs me to take over,” Harry chuckles, “Apparently it’s Dom guard’s job.”

“Whoa,” Louis breathes out, “No wonder. It sounds like you’re the Dom above all Doms.”

“Eh,” The officer puffs out his chest slightly, causing Louis to giggle, “I don’t know. _You_ said that.”

“I think rapists deserves even a harsher punishment than murderers, if you put it like that,” Louis wonders out loud, “Both abuse people’s consent, but rape victims actually suffer much more for a much longer period.”

“Indeed,” Harry agrees, “The best thing to do, and we police should do, is to educate them not to do such nasty things, rather than locking ‘em up after tragedy have happened. That’s pointless half of the time.”

“So the most important part of punishment is not about the content of it, but whether the person feel sorry or not,” The inmate concludes, looking thoughtful.

“Yeah, try to get that into the thick skull of your friend, Mr. Devine.”

“He just loves a good challenge.” Louis lamely tries to defend Josh, “I heard Officer Malik is working with him.”

“Typical. People like him are what we call ‘warrior princess’ here. I’m glad to hear Zayn is doing his job at what he does best.” Harry says.

“The worst kind of Doms there is those who rape their Subs, using their status as an upper hand.” Louis comments softly, smoothing out the wrinkles on his bed sheets.

“Something happened?”

Louis shrugs, pretending to be nonchalant, examining his fingernails, “Don’t wanna remember anything.” He says into the air casually.

“Actually, I was still curious about you and the other two inmates’ shared Dominant.” Harry faces him, speaking in a firmer tone.

“So you’re back on your real subject to talk to me about, weren’t you? Why don’t you just say it?” Louis smirks up at the warden.

“No, I’m in fact suspicious. Though you made it clear you won’t tell a soul, it doesn’t hurt to try.” Harry sighs, genuinely.

“I’m in prison anyways, it’s my choice. You can’t do anything about it,” Louis stares up at his officer, truly interested, “How much have you heard that night?”

“Just what you yelled,” Harry replies truthfully.

“Good.” Louis nods to himself, “It’s a lot already. It’s barely my second month here, I really need space to think over things.”

“Is this about your past master?”

Louis grimaces, scrunching up his nose, “let's just say, a hopeless and helpless 19 year-old thought everything is love.”

Harry accepts the answer, noting down that the inmate is very reluctant to talk about anything from his past. He doesn't essentially plan on pressuring further, as to respect the Sub’s decision and not wanting a repeat of last time. He knows there must be something going on, or went on, but he’d only take action when something is seriously wrong.

“So what's your view on which days I should let you guys out into the field, since it’s newly fixed?” Harry says instead, changing the subject.

Louis chuckles and begins talking about how he thinks they could be out every other day, slotting in between Dominants’ days, so that they could avoid each other but could use the field with the same amount of days. Harry praises him for such quick and feasible thinking, but that's only because he doesn't want to think and suddenly there’s a plan fixed for him.

Louis knows he’d probably spill a lot more things – that he shouldn't – with Officer Styles’ persuading skills, he hopes that doesn’t happen too soon though. He’s still trying to get familiar with the new environment, trying to grasp the idea that he is in fact not being trapped right now.

Everything has changed now. He will at least wait for everything to turn back to normal, to the better, then might he think of something else. Until then, he will live in peace, for as long as he could.

  
  
  


_“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” The man walks into the dark red room with a snarl on his lips, “Now what do we have here?”_

_“Answer me, boy.” He sneers out, “Oh wait you don't really have to. Either way you’re getting punished.”_

_The beaten up boy with scars and bruises littering across his torso trembles on the ground. His two arms are chained up against two posts on the wall, he is made to kneel on the floor, his two ankles separated by metal handcuffs._

_He immediately struggles against the restrains once he heard his master has came in, trying to get away from his doomed fate. He knows he can't, he will never be able to, he’ll forever be stuck here, tortured like this every few days, waiting for his death to come whenever his master has accidentally went too far. He still struggles though, he’ll do everything to get out of here. However, right now, the handcuffs are already biting into his skin, there is no way he could escape._

_He keeps shaking, trying to suppress the little noises from his throat. His master doesn't like them. Not that he’s trying to be good for the Dominant though — he just doesn't want to get in more pain._

_The burly man has already walked up to him, kneeling down beside him. He tilts the sobbing boy’s head up forcefully, examining the black eye he has given the boy two hours ago, with a satisfied grin on his face._

_“Beautiful, very beautiful.” He murmurs, letting the boy go, only to pick up a flogger that is lying on the ground. He circles the boy, tickling him lightly with the flogger, “Now tell me, why do I have to punish you? What have you done wrong?”_

_“I-I,” the Submissive stutters, “I’ve done nothing wrong, Master, please don't do this.”_

_“Say it again,_ pretty boy _, or your punishment won't go nicely,” The man sighs disapprovingly, “Your entire existence is already a mistake. That's what’s wrong. Adding up to it is how you tried to deny me earlier. I’m your Master, you_ don't _—” He slaps down the leash on the boy’s bare back, “ — say no to me.”_

_The Submissive just cries out louder, panic rising up the pit of his stomach again. He knows what his master is going to do. He knew it — He gasps loudly when the strings of the flogger bites into the back of his legs. He pulls away as an instinct, the carpet on the floor creating rug burns on his knee cap._

_“You listen to me you lil’ shit,” The man breathes down his Sub’s neck, causing the latter to shudder in disgust, “Don't you like men, huh? Then why don't you like me. You Subs just want a good cock to suck on, don't you?”_

_“No, master please, I’m not,” His sentence is cut off by a choked sob, “please stop, please. I haven't done anything wrong.”_

_“Now begging is not nice, pretty boy,” The man growls. “But I'll let you beg for my cock, just this once.”_

_He begins to unchain the boy’s arms from the posts, connecting his wrist back together with handcuffs. He pushes the boy roughly, falling down forward onto the ground on his elbows. The boy whimpers out loudly, the pain from where his bruised ribs hit the ground nearly sends him blacking out._

_“Noisy brat,” The Dom mumbles in annoyance._

_“Don’t you ever say no to me, understand? You belong with me. Your life, your body, all belongs to me._ I _am your Dom.” The man produces a cane from nowhere and starts hitting the lying boy with it. He avoids the bum, tragically though, because he likes it smooth. He hits everywhere, mostly the no-hit dangerous zones._

_The Sub moans out loudly when he feels his skin starts to burn again. All too familiar feeling. He screams out when a certain hit sinks on the bottom of his spine, sending shock up his body. His head slams on the wall softly, before he protects himself with his chained arms. He doesn't care how loud his cries go now, he sobs out in pain, his heart leaping out with each of his cries._

_He just wants everything to be over. But he knows in his heart, it would be in his wildest dreams._

_He heart is beating so fast that he almost think he's having a heart attack, or cardiac arrest. Or he’s going to stop breathing altogether, because of how he’s panting from the hits being sent to his back, he could feel it getting wet. Not sweat, but his own blood. His lungs contacts on him; he's getting dizzy, so dizzy._

_Right now, he’s only thankful because Master is not hitting his front at the same time._

_“Oh how I love seeing the fear in your eyes, pretty boy. So you feel the thrill, huh? Feel how hard I hit you? How hard you make me? Your back now is truly a piece of art, all open for me to savour the taste,” The man snickers sinisterly, “Say you want me, you piece of scum, maybe then I'll consider giving it to you.”_

_The boy coughs out, catching his breath once the Master halts his slaps, “N-No! I don't want you. Don't give it to me. I hate you. Get off!” He screams, while tears making their way down and dripping in the floor._

_“Wrong answer, baby.” The Dom smirks. His hands go to unbuckle his belt. The boy hears the soft click of metal, then he goes hysterical, hyperventilating against the floor, pulling at the chains._

_“Ah ah ah,” The man coos disgustingly, “You’re not going anywhere. Don't you dare think of it. Be still, and I'll make this quick.”_

_The boy cries, and sniffs. He shuts his eyes tight in despair when he feels a foreign, hard object poking at his butt crack._

_“Nonononono, Master._ Red, RED! _No please. Don't fuck me._ Red _.” He none but wails, the panic from his heart is suffocating him. He doesn't know he wants to cry, or scream, or throw up._

 _“You say fuck you? That's what I'm gonna do,_ pretty boy _,” The Dom throws down a cold chuckle, nudging the rim open with his tip, “You're only remotely beautiful when I slam into you.”_

 _“No,_ Blue _, please stop. That's not what I w-want.” He gasps when his Master shoves his cock into him, dry._

_“Using my name, huh? Such dirty filth.” The man sneers. “You're lucky you're getting dick tonight.”_

_“I — no,_ Blue _, please — Have mercy. Red, red! Sto-o-op it.”_

_“You. Are. Mine. And. You. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere.” The Master shouts, slamming into the butt cheeks._

_Suddenly there is a knock on the door. The Dom stills his action, the Sub pants heavily into his arms._

_“Mr. Jones, there's someone at your office for you. Says it’s urgent.”_

_“Tell’em I’ll be out in 5.” He yells back, resuming fucking the small boy’s brains out mercilessly._

_He finishes noisily, spilling his heat into the abused Sub’s tight ass. He pulls out after a while, tying the condoms then throwing it away._

_He leans down to whisper into the boy’s ears. “You should thank whoever up there that I spare you now. Next time it’ll be way worse. And remember, you’re nothing without me,_ Tomlinson _.”_

_He throws down a key next to the slightly bleeding Sub, slamming the door shut with a loud thud._

 

Louis jumps up from the bed, drenching in sweat. He blows out loudly in relief, placing his open palm on his heaving chest.

Thank god it’s only a nightmare. His Master is not getting at him now, but instead haunting him in his dreams. Tears pricks at the corner at Louis’ eyes, he lets them fall.

He turns around, lying on his side. He closes his eyes again, the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He cries silently, while trying to block out the horrid memories at the back of his mind. He tries controlling his breathing, he doesn't want this to turn into a aftermath-panic-attack, because there will be no one to help him, even now.

That’s when he realizes that nothing has really changed.


	5. Solace (Part 2.1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanna say all feelings are valid and real. xo

“Are you alright, bud, you look pale.” Niall asks him when he stops Louis from going to breakfast in the hallway, looking genuinely concerned.

Louis sighs out softly, waving the officer off, “Thanks, Sir. Just tired, s’all.”

Niall nods, humming, “Well go on then. Take care.”

Louis nods multiple thanks the officer, before scurrying off to his breakfast table, where it is only him today. Josh is not there because he has do extra chores, as a punishment and yes, he has unfortunately broken a rule again. Josh has been quite disappointed in himself while he told Louis in the early morning, and Louis has groggily whispered to him through the bars in his door that it is alright, because it is obviously okay for a little mistake, especially for Josh who usually struggles on them. 

So this morning the lad had to finish breakfast early so he could get to his extra chore, which is scrubbing the toilets after the inmates’ morning routine. Louis does admit it gets a bit lonely without his and Josh’s usual banter, and with Liam absent (like always), it’s a bit quiet. But on the other hand, it offers him a chance to really look around the prison, at the other inmates, and wonder about all of it.

For him, prison life has become kind of a routine now. Every morning at 6:30 he is woken up by an alarm programmed in his personal mini-radio device — everyone has one, then at 7 he’ll be joined by Josh at their usual table, sometimes with the other guy named James and now very very occasionally with Liam. After breakfast he goes straight to his shift at the library, which starts at 9, as other inmates either go to their own posts or have their turn in a free period. At 12 Louis would drag himself to lunch, then back to the library until 5. It doesn't matter to him now that he is the only librarian he gets less free periods of time, since it's relaxing enough in the library and a peaceful environment is all that he wants. After library he’ll have to meet with Officer Styles at his office, then he will go off to their half-hour session of meditation; meditation is always fun, it gives the Sub personal space to be left alone with his thoughts, thinking quietly. Lights out is at 9, which Louis would usually fall asleep by 9:30. So it’s good, pretty great, even.

Then it hits him, of how much things have changed, physically. Half a year earlier, he wouldn't even dream of getting away. And now he’s here, although “stuck” in a -  _ freaking _ \- prison, it's the stablest he’s ever been in years. 

Emotionally, he knows he’s still bruised. Very very bruised. He knows fully well that avoiding his past from catching up to him is not good, he knows prison isn't the resolution, he knows he’ll one day have to pick up everything back and face the world again, but now that he’s finally got a chance to breathe, he’s not letting it go easily. After all, he’d have to pick up his own broken pieces then could he fix the other things. But right now, not even himself has an idea how broken things are.

At least, waking up from a haunting dream is better than waking up and realizing he's living  _ in _ that dream. 

Louis eats in silence, quietly observing the way people around him acts. In the Sub wing there is silliness, and mild chaos, but presumably a whole lot better than at the Dom Wing. At the thought Louis shudders again. In prison they’ve got this image that the Dom Wing is dim and gloomy, and bulky guys lurking everywhere, the guards could only be so tough that they can tame the troubled Doms. Louis thought back at the Dom Wing guard he and Josh saw the other day while fixing the fence, maybe the Doms could really fight at any second, because of any triggers. It all sounds bemusing and slightly threatening to Louis.

Louis walks to the library in silence, but an easy smile lingering at his lips. He greets at James, who happens to be lying on the ground on his stomach, talks for a while at their weird position, then walks off again to begin his shift.

The book he grabs today is not particularly interesting, it’s about how the world is ridiculously cut up in different parts and controlled by snobby rich people, while the protagonist falls in an unrealistic love. Yet since Louis is too lazy to get up and get another one, he just sticks with it, flicking through a few pages at a time. Just when he is being this close to dozing off, he has three consecutive knocks on his desk.

He jolts half-awake, snapping his head up immediately. And then Niall is there, forearm spanning across the half of the table, smirking down at him and narrowing his eyes.

“Oops! I’m sorry Officer!” Louis jolts completely awake and bites at his bottom lip sheepishly.

Niall lets out a warm chuckle, “No worries, bud. Am just here to tell you that you’re coming with me, you have a session with one of the prison officials.”

Louis looks at him confused, “Oh. Like, right now? But why do I have to see an officer?”

“Everyone have to do it, it’s mandatory and it’s just your turn,” Niall explains, “And yes, it’s right now.”

“Alright. But, um…” Louis pauses, gesturing vaguely around his booth.

“The guards will know what to do. C’mon now.” Niall leans back from the counter. Louis nods and quickly rearrange the soft mess on his desk, following the officer right after.

Niall leads him to the main hallway to the rooms for the officers, they stop at one which Louis sees has “Z. Malik” stuck on the door. Louis braces himself briefly because this will be his first time officially meeting the vice-warden of the prison, he has only been seeing Officer Styles all along, even if he isn’t even the main of the Sub Wing. Niall knocks softly on the door, which a voice yells out “Come in!” from within almost immediately. Niall nods at Louis encouragingly, before leaving for patrol again. 

Louis takes in a deep breath, before pushing the door open.

Quite strangely, the person sitting in the desk isn’t Officer Malik. Instead, it is another man with short, brunette hair, and strong features. He is most likely a Dominant officer. He is also dressing in a different uniform.

“Uh…” Louis begins hesitantly.

“Oh, there you are. Take a seat. You’re 155204 Louis Tomlinson, right?” The officer looks up, smiling gently.

“Yes I am,” Louis confirms and proceeds to pulls out the chair, “But I thought this room is — ”

“About that, Officer Malik is currently a bit busy and I volunteer to start with you for him. He will be joining us in a while.” The man says, “By the way, I’m Officer Lucas, I’m also the counsellor.”

“Right. Good afternoon Sir. Why am I — What are we supposed to talk about?” Louis straightens himself a bit.

“Well, we are supposed just to keep track on every inmate’s behavior, if they have any difficulties and discuss about their future plans with them. It’s just casual. So I guess we could start with your feelings after going in prison? For example, how do you feel about this place?” Officer Lucas says kindly.

“Um,” Louis stutters and shifts on the chair, “I guess I’m okay with the situation? Prison is slightly different from what I thought, but so far the people around me are nice enough. It is quiet but I’m feeling at ease.”

“Good,” The officer hums, pleased, “But I saw in your file that you got into fights, twice actually from within the same month here. Is there anything troubling you? Or you have difficulties in anything?” He points out.

Louis coughs awkwardly and bites his lips. “Yeah, I know those were not good impressions. But in fact, it’s only because some of the other inmates have been harassing me continuously, and I couldn’t control myself.”

“Tell me their names.” Officer Lucas says, picking up a pen on his desk.

“Um, it's the brothers.” Louis never a knew what their names are, never bothered in fact. He just knows they're the only pair of actual brothers in the prison.

A look of realization dawns on Officer Lucas’ face, before it is replaced by amusement. “Ah. Michael Way and Gerard Way, that's them. Seems like we’re gonna have another talk. I believe you though, you're not the first one they mess with. They’re quite the troublemakers.” He shrugs nonchalantly, after jotting their respective names down on the paper.

“I see that you work as the librarian in the Sub Wing, is that a thing that you like to do? Could it possibly be one of the paths you’ll be heading when you get out of prison?” The officer then asks, resting his arms on the desk in a relaxed position.

“I've never really thought of it, since I still have a whole year left here. But I could do that.” Louis replies.

“It’s indeed 12 months left, but if you're on good behaviour, usually they’ll let you leave early. Have you got any plans? Of how you’re going to get by after you get out?” Louis ponders for a while, chewing on the inside of his cheeks.

“I think I’ll probably get a small job to support myself first. I didn’t have any friends or family around to support me so I might as well get a job that offers meals and accommodation. Eventually I want to go back to school, to uni, or something like that. I’ve never quite got the chance to.” He answers truthfully.

The officer hums, looking thoughtful, “Sounds like you’ve got a plan going then. I think it is actually workable. Good thing that BDSM offenders are not as much of a taboo than regular criminals, so the chance of getting a decent enough jobs is still high.”

“Fair enough, I guess.” Louis sighs after saying. “It’s so surreal. A few months ago I have nowhere to go, but now I’m trying to get ready for my new life, even though I have absolutely no idea how this could go. It’s funny how we are all starting over again in a prison.”

“That’s the purpose of prison though,” Officer Lucas points out, “Prison is just a temporary thing. Once you prove you can contribute better to the society, we’ll let you out. I don’t think anyone ever want to get locked up, do they?”

_ If only you knew _ , Louis thinks. Physically, he only nods.

“Now what’s your expectations of the prison life, is it going well with you? How about your relationships with the inmates, the guards? Beside the ones that messed with you.”

“I guess it's been going on well. Prison life is, although as dull as it could get, in fact quite relaxing. Very different from what I had before. And surprisingly I find this calming and actually enjoyable,” Louis chuckles to himself, “The people are civil, except for certain ones. I mean, if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. Guards are nice enough, since I do not talk much to a lot of them.”

Yes, he does not talk a lot to guards, except for maybe  _ the _ warden whom he meets with every other day. He doesn't say this out loud though.

“I know most of the criminals that got jailed see this as an ultimate punishment and a strip-off of their privileges and normal lives. Do you?”

The Submissive hesitates, thinking of a way to say it without disclosing too much that he cannot afford. “Personally I don't, since prison is in fact better that I have imagined it to be,” He settles on, “I knew what I had done to lead me to this path, so I only see prison as a bridge for me to reconnect with the real world again as a better-me.”

It isn't all lie, to be honest. Louis does want to change his life for the better, he does choose this path for himself, he does wish to come out again as a stronger person and escape from the past scars. And what is the reason behind it, that he had to go through such a hassle (as ,other people view it) to regain his freedom, no one has to know. 

Somehow he wishes he could actually stay in prison longer, because even he himself doesn't know how much longer he needs to re-believe that no one can hurt him now.

“Interesting,” Officer Lucas comments, then chuckles and shakes his head to himself, “Your view is quite unique from the others, but that’s okay too. Shows that you have determination to repent for your mistakes.”

“I guess,” Louis laughs awkwardly, blowing out a puff of air that he doesn’t realize he was holding in.

“So what were you saying about uni? You plan on going in?” 

“Hypothetically, yes. I mean, if I can?” Louis bites his lips.

“As a counsellor, my main duty is to help you guys with this type of things, especially if they’re looking for schooling.” The officer looks at him kindly, “Have you finished high school?” 

“I finished the curriculum, but not my A-Levels. Not sure if I remembered anything though.” 

“Alright,” Officer Lucas nods, “How old are you currently?” He eyes a document that is placed on the desk which Louis has just realized belongs to him, “21. Christmas Eve baby, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Louis smiles sheepishly. 

“Then it’s not too late to go to uni.” The officer says, “It’ll be best if you retake your A-Levels though, but if you don’t, I’m sure there is other programs you could take. Depends on what subjects you are going to take actually. Do you have anything in mind?” 

“Right now I don't.” Louis replies. 

“That's — ” 

At the very moment, two firm knocks are heard from the door behind them, a few moments later, it is being pushed open. Officer Lucas looks up, ready to greet whoever walked through. But then his mouth drops open, closes again, staring at the person with wide eyed look. “ _ Zayn _ .” He exclaims.

“What, Lucas?” Officer Malik’s reply booms not a beat later, snapping back almost accusational-ly.

Officer Lucas just tilts his head towards Zayn’s direction, gesturing at something in front of him. Zayn immediately glances into the reflective surfaces on the glass doors of the bookshelves, his face reddening to the roots of his ears once he realizes what it is. It is a huge stripe of love bite, slowly turning purple, sitting across the junction of his chin where even the neck of his uniform cannot cover. Zayn’s eyes widen comically and he curses quite loudly under his breath. He coughs loudly to shadow his embarrassment, while desperately trying to pull up his shirt to hide it.

Louis has turned around when he hears the snorts of laughs coming from Officer Lucas, he can’t help from snicker quietly behind his palm. Zayn, of course, hears it and whips around abruptly, holding his hands in front of his neck as a poor defence, pouting at the Submissive. 

“Oi! Shut up, you.

It only causes more laughter.

“So, you said you were supposed to be busy?” Lucas smirks at his colleague, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“I was!” Zayn protests at once, “It’s just —  _ Ugh _ , I would not allow this to leak out of this place, or else...whatever. Got it?”

Louis decides he likes Officer Malik already. Now that he inspects closer. the love bite does look kind of like a heart shape. Niall must have sneaked it in good. It requires skills, y’know.

“Goddammit, that Irish boy. A motherfucking hickey,  He damn well  _ knew _ this. No wonder people stares at me just now,” Zayn continues to whine and curse lowly, “I’m so going to get my head bit off by Haz.”

“ ‘Oh, Zayn. Y’know kissing is not allowed. But you also know as long as you don't let me see it or you don’t show any evidence I wouldn't care. How can that thing last the whole day?’ “ cackles Lucas, mocking Officer Styles’ deep and sensual voice.

Louis watches on with amusement, he feels like he shouldn't be participating in this conversation but apparently the officers don't seem to mind, so louis just keeps his snickers to himself. After recomposing himself and fixing his shirt with an utterly flustered look on his face, Zayn pulls out another chair and lets himself only it too. 

“So, where were we?”

“Louis here says prison is peaceful and he likes it.” Officer Lucas announces, gesturing to the inmate.

“Oh? Is that so?” Zayn looks to Louis.

Louis is quick to explaining, “Well not exactly, but I'm trying to adjust. It’s just got a calming effect.”

“Well, it's indeed true that I’d rather be in this prison than other ones. Not to sound smug, but we treat you decently here, even the Doms, but others,” Zayn shrugs, “Not so.”

“Then again, if you always keep your records this clean, the governors will go easy on you when they let you go. Oh, and,” The counsellor remembers and tells Zayn, “He is thinking of doing a degree after prison too.”

“That's great. What subjects?” Zayn asks.

“Don't really have one on my mind. And I didn't even finished highschool, only the school but I didn't attend my A-Levels.” Louis admits.

“That’s strange, why may I ask?” 

“I was caught up in...things. It was almost three year ago.” Louis quickly covers up, messing with his shirt under the desk. He mentally shudders at the thought of how long it has been.

“Anyways,” Luckily, both officer doesn’t pick up the hidden uncertainty, “if you really want to do some studying, we have a full system to guide you through, just like all the prisons. Of course, that’ll make you extra busy.”

“We also talked about taking jobs that would offer a dorm, since I’d have nowhere to stay when I get out.” The inmate says.

Zayn’s brow furrows a bit, looking as if he is contemplating something. “That isn’t the best but it is the only that you could do, I suppose. Sure we can apply for a financial aid, but that could only do so much and you still have to repay the money within months.”

“We could see what we can do, it’s still early. Let Louis enjoy his peaceful prison life for the time being.” Lucas shrugs.

Louis chuckles but nods at him.

The officer gives him a smile and clears his throat, “I guess that’s it for our session. You can leave on your own.” 

Louis quietly thanks the officers then leaves the room, feeling a certain weight in his heart.

He notices it is already past the time of his shift, so he walks out of the main building to the outside, deciding it might as well be a field day

He leans on the side of the fence which he and Josh fixed together not longer ago. Today is a Sub day, so of course he won’t be seeing any Doms, except the Dom officers standing guard. There are a few benches in the middle of the grass-y field, currently being surrounded by a bunch of Submissives, chatting and sharing healthy snacks (that's the most they could get at the prison). Some on the other side of the field are chasing around, playing some makeshift ball games. 

Louis crosses his arms in front of his chest and takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily and leans his head back onto the fence behind him.

“It’s a nice day, huh?” A voice says to his right, Louis immediately knows who it is.

“Yeah,” Louis breathes out, still having his eyes closed. He opens them and turns to the right, staring up at Officer Styles’ face. The warden has half of his hair up in a fluffy loose man bun and if it’s under normal circumstances, Louis would’ve found that very hot. The corners of his lips curl up into a shy smile, “You find me again.”

“That I do.” The guard smirks.

“How come?”

“It always feel pleasant to talk to you,” Harry blurts out, “I mean, you seem to make the most out of it, even though it’s prison life. You neither talk back nor shy away too much. You’re strong-willed and I like to talk to people who are willing to work with me. You’re quite obedient from what I observed.”

“Me? Obedient?” Louis restrains himself from scoffing, “That’s not what they say.”

“What do they say?”

Louis chuckles, then sighs, “You wouldn't like to know.” He says quietly.

“Is it another thing that you’ve got to keep a secret?” Harry rolls his eyes. 

“No,” Louis tells him blatantly, “I just don't trust you enough yet. You know I can't.”

There is a pang in Harry’s heart, the words have a certain effect on him that he doesn't know why. The cop surveys the seemingly-innocent face that is staring up to him. There is nothing he could find. “You know whenever you have to talk to someone, we’re always here. I can't stress that enough. We all only want the best from you lots, okay?” 

“Alrighty.” Louis nods.

“Right. I have to go back to work now, before one of the ‘ _ very _ helpful’ interns would start asking me what they can help with.” Harry says, beginning to lean forward from the fence.

Louis hums out a response, looking at the field from afar, “Goodbye then, Officer Styes.”

Harry mumbles out a ‘bye’ as well, “Great chat with you. Talk to you later.”

“Yeah.” Louis replies. Harry gives him a curt nod and then he is off.

  
  


Louis isn’t drawn to the warden, no, he is not. Yeah, the curls are just average and the eyes and voice that makes him just want to calm down aren’t that much of a big deal as well. And oh, don’t mention the height. The way that the Dominant peers down at everyone, even at his own colleague doesn’t at all make Louis think of something else, no it does not ever make Louis thinks of something exciting for once.

Suddenly the inmate is very curious at how Harry would tame his Dominant prisoners.

Louis sighs deeply as he lays down on his side on the bed. Even though how much that his acceptance and affection towards  the officer has grown, he knows he cannot legitimately act on them. For one, he is scared to get close. He knows for sure that Harry has the power, especially on him, that would make him want to confide everything. Just like the man has said, it is very pleasant to talk to him too. Louis has worked so hard to get out of  _ that  _ hellhole, he needs time and space to adjust to this newfound-freedom, before jumping in anything all at once and risk performing the same mistakes. 

And secondly, everything could happen in prison, this safety isn’t all safety. Louis knows he needs something more, but he doesn’t know what exactly he needs.

  
  
  


Soon enough, it is two weeks later. And soon enough, Josh is suddenly barging into his own cell, where Louis is currently lounging in, banging the door shut. Very loudly.

Louis nearly screams out of shock from the sudden bang, his heart leaping out of his chest. Startled, he catches himself before he could fall out of that chair. He blows out heavily in relief and clutches his thumping chest with his palm, looking up and ready to glare at his friend.

Only then does he notice that the banging is meant to be on purpose. Louis gasps loudly. Josh is fuming, his face reddened with anger. By  _ instinct _ , Louis curls into himself on the chair, letting out an involuntary whimper.

Josh is turned around, still hitting his fist back against the walls, muttering foul curses under his breath. He seems to have not yet noticed that Louis is in the same room.  Louis winces at the continuous thudding on the walls, his heartbeat slowly picking up. After making sure that himself the one Josh is angry at, he carefully uncurls his tense shoulders and stutters in a small voice, “Josh, stop it. W-What is happening?”

Josh’s furious gaze snaps to him. Louis almost flinches again. There is a pained and almost miserable look on Josh’s face, one which Louis doesn’t see often. Josh is always bubbly and carefree no matter what happens.

“Fuck those bitches.” He spits out venomously.

Louis frowns deeply at the other Sub’s actions, “Josh, please calm down and take a deep breath. Who are they? What happened?” He tries, starting to get up from the chair to a standing position.

Josh just shakes his head persistently, balling his palms into a fist. His breathing is heavy, and his eyes have a burning hatred in them, he is almost not looking at Louis, just staring straight ahead. Louis does a quick glance at the clenched fists that are resting on either sides of Josh’s torso before snapping up again. He takes a big gulp.

“Those stupid  _ fucks _ ,” Josh hisses, stumbling over his syllables, “I hate them, I hate people, I hate everyone in this fucking bullshit of a place.”

Louis cringes at Josh’s colourful choice of words. He tentatively reaches for his biceps, “Shh, tell me what's wrong. You’re scaring me. Who are you hating?”

Josh locks gaze with Louis for the longest time he has ever been, his hard gaze is staring into Louis’, and Louis tries his very best not to shy away. He prompts his friendly encouragingly with his eyes, even though he is terrified as fuck. He knows the emotion blind anger all too well, he attempts to be on his guard. Eventually, the other Sub’s shoulders slack, his eyes dropping close. A sound between a grunt and frustration falls through his lips. Louis carefully rubs circles at his muscular biceps.

Josh lets out a bitterly laugh, “So you think when you’ve changed people will accept you. No, they won't. As long as you made some bad mistakes in the past, all good changes you’ve done are invalid. My past makes me who I am, not my mistakes, especially when I don't do them anymore.”

Louis takes a step closer, “I completely agree with you. But what’s so sudden? What’s wrong?”

“There’s been a prank going on, and the guards just assumed it was me. I tried explaining everything, they don’t listen. They just think that should be me, because I’m the mischievous kid, right?” Josh’s voice gets louder, “Because I’m always causing trouble, aren’t I? Because I used to be nothing but bad that whenever something happened they have the right to point their fingers at me, right?”

“Hey hey, relax, I believe you — ”

“I’ve been nothing but self-disciplined for the past month, I’ve fucking changed for good. But that doesn’t mean anything, right?” 

“Yes — ”

“They didn’t fucking listen for once, threatened me with a spanking. What the fuck? You know what I got now, clearing up the mess that someone  _ else  _ made and scrub the kitchen for a month!” Josh growls.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Josh. That’s so unfair. But first please calm down, take a deep breath,” Louis tries.

“Because whatever comes out of my mouth is foul, isn’t it. Why is it always me, Louis, why?” Josh shouts loudly at the last ‘why’, Louis fights back a gasp and attempts to reach for the other Sub’s elbow.

“Please, Joshie — ”

“You know what, they think I made a mess. So that’s what I’m gonna do. Make a mess!” Josh shrugs off Louis’ hold on him, picking up a plastic cup on the cupboard and slams it to the ground. Louis stares in horror as the cup bounces off the floor, clattering to the ground.

“No, Josh, don’t do this. That is not going to help!” Louis exclaims.

“Nothing’s gonna help anymore!” Josh shouts back, picking up a row of books next. He throws them ruthlessly into the wall, watching as they fall back onto the mattress. Louis backs away from his fuming friend who is thrashing around, trying to ruin the small space around him. He could only watch, not being able to do anything on the side. 

His palms start to sweat as he sees the rage on Josh’s face. He is so scary to look at, his eyes frenzy and his shoulders coiled in. It is so unfamiliar, Louis could barely recognize the person in front of him. Josh is relentless. He can’t stand it anymore, so he jumps in to hold Josh back as the latter hauls amini-radio to the ground. A despaired noise escapes the dirty blond.

Louis doesn’t even want to look at the damage. He stares up at Josh, his eyes wide. Josh’s breaths are coming out in short heaves, an indication that he is going to explode again in any second. Louis’ fingers start trembling, the goosebumps on the back of his neck starts to form, a chill running down his spine. But Louis cannot be frightened now, he has to stay calm for Josh, “Please, Josh, can you put that down? You are scaring me. pViolence is never the way, calm down for a second, for me, okay?”

“They never listen to the truth, then why do  _ I _ have to?!!”

Louis flinches hard under those words, trying not to let the desperate tears in his eyes slip out. He knows Josh doesn’t mean it, he’s just blinded by the blank rage in his eyes. It still hurts, nevertheless. Louis breathes out shakily.

Josh shrugs Louis off him again, and with how a lightweight the small boy is his legs slips, hitting the wall behind him with his back in a loud groan. Josh has a determined glaze in his eyes, he dumps a few more random things to the ground again, more like picking them up then throwing them away right after as if they burn his hands. Next, he marches up to a panting Louis, who looks up at him alarmed.

Josh slumps into the space in front of Louis, his two arms successfully trapping Louis. He cowers into the other boy slightly, Louis could only watch, he couldn't move. He could even feel Josh’s harsh breath blowing on his face. He doesn't know what to do, as a choked grunt leaves Josh’s lips. What happens next is what Louis doesn't see coming.

Josh raises his left hand from the wall that is supporting both of their weights, forming it into a fist.

Louis whimpers in sheer terror. Josh leaves his arm above his head, but his eyes are trained on the wall behind Louis, instead of him. But Louis cannot see this, his mind is blank from panic, he feels like he can't breathe. Josh is looking like he could kill a person, or hit one, namely Louis.

Meanwhile, Josh simply doesn't have a clue in how much an effect this is having on Louis. He is too angry to care. He places all his remaining energy into his fist, only wanting to let it all out on the wall in front of him. He lets out a deep growl.

Louis screams.

“No! Don't hit me!”

He blindly reaches for the chest of the person in front of him and pushes him away from himself. The tears fall freely now, he's just too scared. He lets himself slip onto the ground, crouching and curling into a tight ball, attempting to hide from the harm. It almost feels like he’s back into the mansion where he will be hit exactly like this every other day, or maybe he is indeed back into the mansion. He can't think, he can't.

He doesn't know he is crying and screaming too. A lump forms in his throat suffocates him. He feels as if there are hands shaking his shoulder, and a voice is speaking. But he can't make out who that is, he is busy figuring out where he really is. 

“Lou, please, I’m sorry,” He hears, “Fuck, I didn't know I – you’d be – fuck are you alright?”

Louis shakes his head violently. He feels the person drops with him to the ground, and moves in front of him. His body trembles harder.

“I didn't mean it. Shit, I was not going to hit you.” Louis sobs harder, “C-Could you look up at me? I need to know you're alright. I didn't actually hurt you did I, fuck I'm so sorry.”

Louis lifts his head up and wipes rapidly at his eyes. He cries out again when he sees the pair of eyes in front of him. All he could see is the dull blue, instead of the brown ones that belongs to Josh. He could see a sick smirk on his face.  _ No _ , it can't be his master, it can't be.

With another loud scream, Louis jumps back from the figure, his arms going up instinctually to block himself from the harm. He hears nothing from his surrounding, his brain feels fuzzy, he feels so far from the world, and so close back to his master. He could almost hear the snickers being thrown at him.

“I-I’m gonna call the guards, alright? I – fuck – I’m so sorry. Please be okay. Shit.” 

Louis breaks down again. People are going to take him away, he could no longer feel the warm hand on his shoulders. And he couldn't move, he’s falling apart, he wants to go away. He coughs out when he feels his tears are choking him too much.

Josh jumps up quickly from the ground to hit at a red button that is installed on one side of his cell,  _ for emergency use only _ . His hand goes to his hair brushing the fallen ones back in its quiff, cursing in his mind again. He doesn't know it would end like this, he was just simply disgusted and so, so angry at the old hag who is one of the officers. He is just letting his frustration out, he didn't imagine it could cause such a damage like this.

He has sobered up now, and he is so fucking guilty of what he has done. He knew Louis could be triggered easily, and by the way how genuinely frightened Louis looked and how he jumps away from his touch, he could tell what he just did is way, way beyond what he could repair.

Just as Josh is about to crouch down and tries comforting his friend again, two officers bursts into the cell. They takes a look at Louis’ trembling form on the ground, then Josh is immediately pinned to the wall by one of them.

“What the fuck did you do to him?” It’s a Dominant officer who asked him, Josh shivers under the harsh tone involuntarily.

“Sir I-I swear I didn't mean it. I said something and it sets him off. I think he probably mistook that I was gonna hit him instead of the wall. I’m sorry, I didn't do anything, please calm him down please, he’s too scared to let me touch him.” Josh rushes out.

The officer releases the hold on him reluctantly. Josh turns to the side to look, a few tears sliding down his cheeks as well. A blonde guard is currently comforting the panicking Sub. It is Niall, he then realizes. Josh cringes mentally at that the fact that he probably has let Niall down again, especially when the official is working so hard to help him.

Louis could hear a silky and soft voice speaking gently to him, attempting to calm him down. But Louis could only cry. His head is pounding too hard and his heart is beating too fast, he is slowly freaking out and losing it, and there is no signs of that slowing down. He’s under a surface, he can’t get out of it, no matter how hard he tells himself to calm

At the back of his mind, he knows it’s Niall. That means the other officer is most probably Officer Malik. And Louis simply hates making a mess in front of people, he hates appearing weak, not because he thinks he is not supposed to but because it only means people will most likely hurt him even more. He tries breathing in and out as regularly as he can, but it’s not helping and all he could let out is tiny screams.

“Shh, Louis, tell us what's wrong. What do you want? How could us help you calm down?” Another voice says to his right, firmer but soft as well.

Louis struggles to say, “I — I — ” before his voice cracks again. He sobs loudly into his sleeve as he bites down harshly onto the skin. The pain doesn't clear his head. He whimpers again, “I don't k-know!”

“Alright, alright. It's okay. Don't work yourself up. C’mon, let’s take a deep breath with me.” Niall scrambles to say when Louis hiccups and gags. Louis’ takes in a breath, only to choke on it again, “Shh. You’re doing good. It’s fine.” 

Louis continues to cry miserably, his shoulders crumbling. Every single time he starts to relax, the panic in the deep pit of his stomach picks up again. Every piece of him is falling down, he doesn’t know what is happening. The calming method is to no avail, only ending in more frustration for the young lad.

The blond whispers the other officer in a more urgent tone, attempting to keep it down from Louis, “Zayn, do you think we should — He’s panicking too much it's not looking good, I’m afraid — ”

Zayn frowns at Louis and nods, “Yeah we should. I’ll go — wait, crap, our doctor’s over at the Dom wing for a fight. Shit, I-I’ll know what to do, you stay here with him, ‘right?”

Louis feels Niall nods fervently besides him. The sound of the cell door clicks open and shut again. Louis lifts his head and cries into Niall’s shoulders, the blonde hesitantly strokes at his hair, while keeping a hand on Louis’ arms to prevent him from hurting himself.

After a while, the door opens again, revealing Zayn and the one beside him, Harry. It seems like Zayn has already explained the whole situation to his boss because the first thing Harry says when he steps into the room is tell Josh to leave for a second.

Josh looks like he is going to protest, but Harry shakes his head, saying quietly, “No, you have to calm down too. We will call you back in very soon. Don't worry yourself too much.”

Harry gingerly approaches Louis and sits down cross-legged besides him. Zayn moves to crouch down on his knees in front of the Sub as well.

“Hey, Louis, it’s me.” Harry chuckles slightly when Louis freezes up at his voice, “Could you look up at me? Let me see how you are?”

To all of their relief, Louis does look up from his cocooned form this time. But his eyes are once again filled with tears, looking as disoriented as it could. He mewls out a cry, calming down only barely when he sees it’s the prison instead of the burgundy red room he used to be abused at. He has to blink rapidly so that Officer Styles’ green eyes doesn’t turn into blue ones that once belong to the man that used to hit him.

“Sir, are you sure — ” Niall begins worriedly, but stops when he sees Louis didn't flinch like he did when Harry’s hand touches his owns.

Harry smiles at him as much as he can, he hates seeing people cry, especially Louis because it causes an unknown flutter in his heart that he can’t place. He doesn't know how to calm them down too, so he could only try his best. He slides his hand up Louis’ sleeves-clad arm gently, causing the sleeve to move slightly in the process. 

“Sir,” Louis utters almost naturally.

“Shh, everything’s okay. You're fine,” Harry shushes him softly, “C’mon, take a deep breath for me.”

Louis breathes in shakily, trying his best to follow the command.

“Breath out slowly.” 

Louis breathes out, whimpering as he does so.  A few more tears drip down. He closes his eyes in exhaustion. But as soon as he does so, he feels faint again and the images pop back in.

“Hey shh it’s alright. You're doing great.” Niall immediately comforts him.

“C’mon, breathe in again. You can do it.” Harry rubs up and down his arm. “Now out.”

Louis chokes on a hiccup, “I-I don't feel well.”

“Shh, just relax. You’re safe here. We are all here to help you.” Zayn consoles and reaches forward to take a tissue from the box that is lying around on the ground, handing it to Harry.

Harry takes it and presses it to Louis’ face, cleaning him up. The Sub’s breathing is still rigid, but at least here making progress. He says as gently as he can, “Hey Lou, mind if I touch you a bit more?”

Louis hesitates but shakes his head shortly after, biting his raw bottom lips as he does so. Harry wraps an arm around his bony shoulders, engulfing him with his broader body. Louis feels so small like this, so he does the only thing he could think of, which is sighing softly into Harry’s body heat.

“Go on, you can lean on me. You feel my breathing? Good, now follow me.” Harry speaks in a gentle tone, slowly guiding the Sub. Louis relaxes some more when he hears the deep, but strangely soothing voice. He feels the officer’s chest rises up, so he follows it and takes in a deep breath, just as what Harry told him to do. He feels himself slowly calming down.

“You're doing so good, following me so well.” Harry praises him, whispering. Louis lets out a watery chuckle.

Harry smiles wider at him, trying hard not to just hug him. He wants to, but he cannot do that. 

Louis rubs at his eyes with a fist, looking around himself. Zayn is also rubbing at his back, he notices now, he sniffs loudly and clears his throat.

“Are you comfortable with telling us what has happened now? It’s okay if you need more time.” Niall says to him.

Louis chews on his lips, deciding he might as well say it. A blush creeps up on his cheeks, he drops his gaze to his tangled fingers, “It's fine. It isn't really Josh’s fault. I, um, I guess it's the loud noises, that, that scared me. I’m sorry, it’s pathetic, because it’s just the noises. Uh, Josh is throwing things around, and at one point I thought he was going to hit me, so I freaked out a little. S-Sorry.”

“No, don't say sorry. It’s fine, you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just an accident. If you're triggered, no matter how little the trigger is, it’s okay to panic.” Zayn reassures him, patting his knee.

Louis nods gingerly, sighing, “It just, reminds me of stuff.”

“What stuffs?” Niall asks innocently.

Louis looks down, tears filling his eyes again. Harry rubs at his biceps almost immediately, shooting the blondie a look.

“You don't have to say it, I understand.” He leans down to whispers into Louis’ ear.

The inmate nods sadly, “Thank you Sir. I’m sorry for causing trouble to you guys again, it's starting to feel like it's all I have been doing.”

“It’s okay Louis, you don't have to apologize for something you simply can't control…” Niall starts.

Louis sniffs, and peers up Harry, “I’m sorry I’m holding you up, I'm sorry that you have to attend to me while you should be working in the Dom Wing. I mean, I’m fucking scared by a little noise, I’m sorry that’s so pathetic and useless, I know I’m such a nuisance, sorry.” His voice is barely a whisper by the end of it. He almost wants to sink back into a ball and cry all over again.

“No, you got it all wrong, love.” It’s Harry who speaks, looking into his eyes with a sincere stare, “I value every single one of you the same, I'm here to help you.  _ That's _ my job. I'm supposed to be helping you, even if it’s only calming you down. I care deeply for your well-beings, it’s my top priority.”

A warmth spread like fire through Louis’ chest, but to it he shakes his head in protest, gulping, “But this is prison, you shouldn’t be helping me like this, you should be just, like isolating me or something.”

Officer Malik snaps a finger in front of him, making Louis look to him, “Bud, different people all have their own ways of being treated that is the best for them. If I don't think Officer Styles here is the second most the suitable one to handle this situation I wouldn't ask him to come and just handle this myself.” He says in a kind tone.

Louis only nods meekly at him. He doesn't really believe him, but it’s better than nothing. Besides, he’s too tired to even care now, so he just turns his face back into Harry’s firm chest and sighs, catching his breath. Harry’s hand is sliding up and down his back in a soothing motion, Louis wants to simply disappear into the warden’s comfort like this.

He sniffs one last time, clearing his throat. His fingers subconsciously goes up to fix at his fringe, pulling his long sleeves back down again. He blinks up at the three officers, nodding timidly. Niall gets the cue and pats him twice on the shoulder, smiling softly at him. Louis chews at his bottom lip. 

“Alright,” Harry announces when he sees the inmate has completely recovered, “I’m going to have a word with Louis here.” Louis’ head snap up at him as fast as lightning, “Could you two go see how Mr. Devine is doing? I’ll just be a minute.”

The officer couple nod silently and gets up to leave, following their boss’ orders. Harry gets to his knees after they’re gone, and stands up. Louis’ dazed eyes follow his every movement, unsure what to do. The warden offers a hand to him, Louis stares at it for a beat before grabbing it, allowing the officer to pull him up.

The Dominant tries to smile at him when he sees how tense Louis is. He leads him to the bed, well, Josh’s bed, sitting him down. “Relax, I'm not going to scold you. I just have to know something.”

Louis’ frown deepens at the words. That doesn't sound any better to him. Though he keeps his mouth shut, and lets the warden do whatever he needs. 

Harry’s eyes never leave his, staring hard into those soft baby blues. Louis is rendered frozen, he feels so naked like this. Harry’s intense gaze is burning into his, Louis’ breath hitches. Their hands are still linked, tightly gripped in Harry’s grasps. Louis gulps.

Harry brings his other hand up to pull at Louis’ sleeve, beginning to slide it up. Louis makes a scared noise in his throat and tries to take his hand back, but Harry stops him before he could succeed so, looking him straight in the eyes.

“No more hiding, Lou, I've already seen it. Just want to make sure what I saw was right.” 

Louis lays his arms still in Harry’s hold, looking down in defeat. He hates it that the warden always sound so convincing. Louis shivers involuntarily when Harry’s fingers faintly brush against his skin. He holds in his breath, watching as the Dom moves up his shirt. Harry’s got his eyes trained on Louis, there is no going back now. 

Harry’s heart nearly stops when he sees what is littering on Louis’ tattered skin on his forearm. Widening his eyes slightly, he immediately straightens up. Lying across Louis’ hands where it is usually well-covered by the sleeves are sweltering scars and cut marks, so many of them. There are older ones fainted into his tan skin, only to be covered by new ones. There is also a long gash over the underside of the arms, spanning a good five inches long.

Wordlessly, Harry holds out a palm to Louis. Louis seems to get what he is trying to do, so he places his other hand onto the warden’s awaiting palm as well, trying to keep it from trembling too hard.

Still inspecting at the wounds on the arm, Harry takes the other one and pulls it closer to his face, inspecting it with narrowed eyes. Louis watches as his brow furrows into a serious expression that is slightly frightening. Harry’s jaws are clenched, his moss green eyes look even brighter under the light like this. Harry ghosts a finger gingerly over the slighter whiter lines, trailing it over the bumpy ends.

“You didn’t do this to yourself, did you?”

“What?” Louis asks, a bit shocked that  _ this _ is the question he got, “No! I could never.”

“Someone else then. Who is it?” Harry’s voice is hauntingly soft, he snaps a piercing gaze up.

Louis opens his mouth to speak, but halts just when he is about to. He looks at the warden with dubious eyes, “I don’t have to tell you.”

“No, you have to.” Harry shakes his head, insisting, “What if it’s someone from here? Is anyone in prison harming you?”

Louis wants so badly to retrieve his hand. He says instead, “No. Couldn’t be anyways. If it is, they wouldn’t be so healed.” tilting his chin towards his scarred arms.

“Okay…” Harry doesn't sound at all convinced, in fact, he even sound worried, “You’re right. I – this looks so bad though,” he blinks at the wounds, grimacing, “must be really painful. H-How long was this ago?”

“Don't know. Don't remember,” Louis says. He really doesn't remember, there are too much similar scars over his torso for him to care.

“I can't even begin to imagine.” The officer continues, “This is not normal scars, you know that? You look indifferent, you sure you’re okay?”

Louis doesn't know how he should feel towards Officer Styles’ gentleness to him right now. He is cradling Louis’ arms so kindly in his, thumbing the scars so gingerly as if Louis’ bones are fragile that they would break any moment. He looks genuinely devastated to see the state of them.

Harry’s brows furrow deeper, his lips set into a tight line. He sighs deeply through his nose. “So this must be one of things that you refuse to let anyone know. I have a feeling that this won't be the last of it too, right?”

Louis just pouts down at his lap in shame.

Harry sighs in frustration, “Who the hell did this to you, I wonder. There’s – so many of the marks. Why couldn't you just tell me?”

Louis slumps down a bit further. He slides his hands out of Officer Styles’ hold again, the Dom lets him go this time, soothing the sleeves back down. He silently begs that the warden won't ask him any more.

“I’m not gonna push you, okay?” Harry tugs a piece of stray curl back to his half bun, “I'm gonna say this again, that you can tell me everything. You can trust us, we’re not going to let you get into any form of harm. Tell anyone when you’re ready, me, or Niall, or any of the guards that you trust. We are here to help you, to guide you on a proper path, understood?”

“Yes, Sir, I got it.” Louis mumbles.

“You fine with seeing Josh now? This is his cell after all. Dinner is close, too.” Harry asks.

Louis hums in response. Harry doesn't bother telling him to answer in words anymore. The Sub looks like he could fall right asleep any moment. He doesn't know what is happening, because every time Louis freaks out he’d claim he's fine. He could only be so relieved that the horrendous scars he saw doesn't seem self-inflicted, or else he wouldn't know what to do. Harry knows Louis can't keep on going like this, not that he minds leaving his job at the moment to sooth him, but it’s simply not okay to pretend you are fine when you are apparently not. Harry could see the plain truth, and he blames it on that he could almost see through everyone, instead of he  _ does _ care about the certain Submissive.

“Take care, then.” Harry rises to leave. He leans over to ruffle Louis’ hair, making it messy. Louis peaks up at him through his long lashes, a coy smile lifting up the corners of his lips, only barely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  kudos and comments help a lot with how this story is gonna develop, as well as calming my fucking nerves down. constructive criticism very welcomed, so don't be afraid to leave a piece of your mind !!
> 
> all the love and massive thanks :)


	6. Solace (Part 2.2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  filler :)

After that, Harry just simply stops by Louis’ room more frequently, using that he has to check up on the Sub’s well-being as an excuse. That is a part of the truth, but to be honest, Harry would admit that he merely wants the boy’s companion.

Harry doesn't know how to pinpoint it, really, but he nerves just sort of calm when he is with Louis. They don't talk much, they just sit, Louis silently reading and Harry silently writing up reports, or occasionally watching the inmate. Harry likes to watch how Louis tries not to smile at the contents in his stories, he likes to watch how Louis reacts to what he says, even if it's just a simple thing. Louis listens, he swallows it all, while smiling at him softly. Harry likes how he offers the absent-present mental support he just needs after working night shift the day before. It’s peaceful with Louis. It’s peaceful in _prison_ with Louis, as ridiculous as that sounds.

But Louis gets it. He just nods and talk about another thing. Harry doesn't know if he is intentionally distracting him, but it works all the time, so Harry likes it. Louis is always either entranced by his stories, or staring off to space. He isn't very sociable, Harry discovered, and he doesn't really join cliques. Which is a good thing, really, because when Subs form cliques they team up against the guards.

(Though Louis quickly made up with Josh, not even a day after. It’s a pile of flustered apologies from _both_ of them until _both_ of them are giggling like mad. Harry has professionally got the information from Zayn.)

It’s always in Louis’ cell, after Louis’ duty with Harry has finally finally finished and cannot be extended anymore. So the warden goes to his. Louis’ just like the soft wind that blows after a tide, and certainly Harry is exaggerating. He isn't at all used to being this friendly towards his inmates, (there's just this one Dom called Chris who’d been here for the longest possible. He’s nearly 40.) but with Louis, it feels natural. The thing is, he doesn't need to be not friendly with Louis, because Louis follows everything and giggles with a palm over his mouth.

Though Harry doesn't mean anything by that. He and Louis sort of clicks, he knows it by the first time he laid eyes on the boy from about 8 weeks ago, there is something else about it, something in his eyes that speaks more than others. But Harry knows fully well where to draw the line, being friendly is already enough for him, even though sometimes Harry really wants to touch him, he doesn't know why.

“You're too good to me, Officer Styles,” Louis tells him quietly one day after taking yet another chocolate bar Harry offered, looking at it skeptically.

Harry frowns confusedly, pulling out another bar for himself, “What? It’s just little snacks.”

“Sure you don't carry around these and give them to every inmate you see, right?” Louis peers up through his long lashes.

“I only reward those who helped me and are good,” Harry smirks pointedly at Louis, “These snacks are something really simple, yet effective. Even the Doms fight their asses for them.”

Louis breaks into a chuckle, biting into the orange flavoured choco bar, “Really?”

“Really.” Harry shrugs a shoulder matter-of-factly. He fishes out some more snacks from his pockets, “C’mon, have some more. You're quite...thin-ish, y’know.” He trails off.

“What is ‘thin-ish’, Officer?” Louis teases him. Glancing away, he admits, “And yeah, I do know that.”

“You also know that I don't mean the fit kind of thin, right?”

“I know, I'm trying to eat more, but I'm not used to eating so much, y’know?” Louis mutters.

“No, I wouldn’t know. Because you never tell me anything.” Harry snaps at him, letting out a huff. He doesn’t know what came over him, but he just wants to know everything.

He just wants to help Louis with whatever he needs, and that thing that the Sub isn't telling him? It’s kind of killing him with anticipation, really. The more Louis refuses to tell, the more Harry wants to pry it out of him. The perks of being a cop, huh, he's got a natural detective mind of not letting anything go until solving it.

But one look at the Sub’s immediately crushed face Harry is already regretting his harsh tone.

  
The warden brushes his curls out of his face in mild frustration, feeling guilty as Louis continues to look crumbled. “Look, I’m sorry that came out the wrong way. You apparently have all the rights to keep silent and I’m not trying to force you.”

“It’s hard, Sir, it’s so hard to keep myself together sometimes,” Louis blurts out, raising his head to look up at Harry. Harry’s heart almost skips a beat at the visible pout on Louis’ lips, “Thank you so much for respecting my privacy.”

Harry doesn’t even know if he’s being sarcastic at the last comment or not.

“I don’t know whether I should tell people or not.” Louis pouts.

“Take your time,” Harry nods at him solemnly.

 

 

A while later Harry has gone back to his office, just in time for his phone that is blaring in the far distance. The ringtone is from Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” that Zayn has set for him as a joke, Harry doesn’t bother changing it. He keeps his phone on silent most of the time anyways.

The name that flashes on the screen has the officer mentally groaning, he scurries to picks it up as soon as he could, not wanting to risk another mistake of his life. “Hey, mom,” Harry squeaks into the receiver.

“My latter child!” Comes shouted through the phone, Harry makes a face at his most probably damaged ears. His mom always calls him that when he’s in sort of trouble.

Harry doesn’t even have time to mumble out an apology before his mom screeches again, slightly quieter but still ear-wrecking “It’s been two weeks! You promised you’ll call me.”

Harry could already picture the sad face his mom is making over the phone. Chuckling awkwardly, he pulls the phone back to his face, “I know mom, and I'm sorry. These weeks are really busy…”

“So busy that you can't even make a lil’ bit time for your dear mother? Harry Edward, tsk, I didn't raise you like that,” His mother sighs dramatically over the phone.

“I know mom,” Harry whines out softly, “I promise I'll call you earlier next time. There has been one hell of cases going on, so my head is in them most of the time. Look, I'm taking you out to dinner this Friday, how's that sound?”

“You'd better,” There's a hint of smile in Anne’s tone, so Harry says in relief, “How's work going?”

“Busy like I've told you, everyday is an adventure here.” The warden replies, using his free hand to move around scattered objects on his desk.

“Met anyone new?” Is his mom’s second question.

“No,” Harry groans, “Why does everyone always ask me that. I currently have eyes on no one and am _not_ at all desperate.”

“Harry — ” Anne begins.

“No, mother,” But Harry cuts her short, immediately knowing what she is trying to say, “Don't you think about setting me up on dates with anyone, especially Doms, the last one still give me chills.”

“Alright, fine,” Anne says in an exasperated voice, “But you've got to take care of yourself, you’re 26 already.”

“Only barely!” Harry protests, “The one for me will come along according to its own time.”

“I just don't want you to get too engrossed in work and miss all the opportunities, y’know.” Anne speaks again, voice growing soft, “You were such a romantic kid back then, I don't want it to be too late when you finally meet the love of your life.”

“I know, mum,” Harry repeats, biting at his lips, “And I don't wanna force anything to happen. Maybe I'll start looking after I finish this big case, it is really important.”

“I'm just worried about you, that's what mothers do,” Anne admits, “Because it's always you and the prison, Harold.”

“This case here is major, though, probably would even boost my status. _Then_ I'll have free time.”

“Alright,” His mother hums, “Just keep your eyes wide open, son.”

Harry mumbles out a reply and the call ends quickly after. The Dom mindlessly chucks his phone onto his desk and lays his arms on the desk, lays his head atop, groaning into it.

He remains in that position for a long time, not coming up even when he hears a knock on his door. He probably knows who it would be anyways.

He groggily peeks up from the gap between his arms, seeing that it is Zayn with a few papers in his hands. Harry sighs to himself and raises his head eventually, pouting up at his friend/colleague.

“Aye, trouble in paradise, Haz?” Zayn smirks down, blatantly ignoring the state Harry is in.

“It's not paradise, it's a war zone, Zayn.”

“Aww,” Zayn coos, “What’s bothering our macho Dom this time?”

Harry flips him off. “Mom’s nagging me about the love life again.”

“Oooh, she's right, mate.”

“Oh yeah, forgot y’all are against me together. Where's the problem anyways, of course I want a Sub, but it's no big deal if I don't have one at the moment,” Harry rolls his eyes then gestures to the stacks of paper on his desk, “See, I still have all these to bother with which gets me no free time.”

“That's the problem, you should learn to take care of your real life once in a while,” Zayn exclaims, “And if you don't sneak off patrol now and then maybe you could've more time?”

“You're not helping.” Harry sticks his tongue out at him.

“And you're a child,” Zayn shrugs, as if to say ‘I'm never here to help anyways’.

Harry glances over at the clock, “It’s six, shouldn’t you be off already? It’s my turn to work night shift right?”

“Want me to be gone so soon, boss?” Zayn teases, “Actually I’m getting going, just staying to finish typing up some cases.”

“You mean you and Niall shall be off,” Harry deadpans.

“Yes, and stop getting jealous over me. Go get yourself a Sub instead,” Zayn puffs out his chest, looking smug, “It is not too late, even though the love season is gone two months ago.”

 

*

 

After lights out the warden goes patrolling again, just like what he told his colleague. He grabs his coat hanging off the rack, his keys , and slides a flashlight into his pockets. He first goes over the Submissive wing to check if everyone has gone to bed, if the doors to the library, kitchen etc. are locked or not. After reassuring that nothing unusual is going on, he starts heading to the Dominant Wing. To reach there, Harry has to walk through a long, narrow passage near his own office.

It's the only passage that connects the two wings. Harry goes through it multiple times during the days, and twice in a week when he’s working night shift. The corridor is not eye-catchy, and most of the time there will be guards patrolling around so that no Subs or Doms would go over to the other side. Less people goes through it, merely guards, as it is not open to inmates. The tunnel isn't necessarily creepy, or dark, quite the opposite in fact, with white fluorescent tubes handing above.

Harry’s done this countless of times, he shouldn't be anxious, but tonight, he feels like something is coming up. Call it a cop’s intuition, if you'd like.

Nonetheless, the said warden walk round a corner and slips into the Dominant Wing. The Dom Wing has an almost identical inner structure as the Sub Wing, with the only difference being the inmates inside it. White lights in the Dom Wing also looks more predatory than the Sub’s side.

Harry pulls out his flashlight and shines around, strolling along the cells. There is snores filling the place, but most likely the inmates are either trying to sleep or minding their own business alone in the dark. Not much harm could be done by that. This night, Harry also does a double take at the bathroom because of his anxious feelings prior. He just has to be extra sure, since y’know, too many things could possibly happen in the bathroom.

Just as he is walking out of the toilet, he hears a small noise outside of the corner. It is extra prominent especially its at night and quiet, even the sound of the drop of a pin can be heard. Harry stops in his tracks, listening more closely to check if he’s misheard anything. It goes quiet for a beat, but just when he's about to sigh in relief, the sounds pick up again. This time it sounds more like footsteps.

Harry immediately goes on alarm mode. At this dead of the night, no one should be walking around besides him, even the day shift guards should be off work, the only ones working would be at the reception, which is miles away from where he is standing now. Harry’s grip on the torch grows tighter. He quickly retreats from the toilet and walks out. He turns around a corner and makes a show of flashing the light around. There is a bit of whispered sound, like the wind breezing by. Harry shuts off the light emitting from the torch, but keeps his thumbs lingering on the button. He pretends to walk to the exit, making his own footsteps especially loud, just to see what would happen, while listening to his surroundings intensely. Just as he expected, as he goes further and further away, sounds of shuffling picks up again.

The warden briskly sneaks back in, lowering his steps as soft as possible, to create the impression that he has indeed left the Dom Wing already. His free hand that is not holding the flashlight reaches back to one of the pockets on his belt by instinct, ready to pull out his stick in case necessary.

He sticks close the wall as he heads towards the source of the noise. Following the lead, he passes the strings of cells, onto the side where miscellaneous rooms are located, in which inmates usually chill out at day.

Harry forces himself to swallow down a deep breath when he sees the vague outline of a black shadow of a figure flies across right in front of him, sliding into behind a corner about merely fifty steps away from him. The figure must be hiding behind the wall, and he is not hiding very well, because Harry could still see his shadow being illuminated by the faint moonlight that is seeping through the little windows high up on the walls.

Harry’s heart sinks. He knew someone is out there, and they're running away from him. It must not be good: Harry gulps then heads towards the shadow, taking his steps in halves and as light as he could.

He carefully approaches the corner, hearing pants from a few centimetres away. Suddenly, a loud thud comes from behind of it, as if something is being thrown to the ground. Immediately, Harry scrambles to flicker his flashlight on, tearing into the corridor.

“Arms above your head!” He bellows out, his voice piercing through the night.

Harry flashes the beam onto the man, who is slowly raising his arms up to block the sudden light, shaking in surrender. A hard object drops from his raised hands to the ground, creating a loud clink. Harry eyes the object warily, noticing that it is a screwdriver. Harry gulps, but he doesn't let it show on his face. He extends a leg to easily brush the tool away.

Harry moves the torch to make the light shine on the person’s face, so that he could see who it is, and he nearly groans out when he recognizes the inmate — the same one who has been giving him troubles for weeks.

It is Frank Iero.

“Where the hell are you going?” Harry puts his voice lower, but is still shouting nonetheless.

The other Dom glares at him with spite. “I wasn't going anywhere.”

Harry’s eyes flicker to the top of the wall, there is a tiny opening for a window that is fixed with metal bars. It’s reachable, if you jump high enough.

The guard snorts, “Oh yeah? Then what are you doing in the dead of the night? Planning a party? Going to the loo? It’s not this way. Mind telling me what is that you dropped just now as well?” He interrogates casually, but his words are sharp like aarows.

“I – I was — “ Frank stutters out, “I was trying to see my Sub.”

Harry chuckles coldly again. It was a blatant lie, but he decides to play along nonetheless, just to see what the inmate would say. “So you decide to sneak at night? Well, if you behave well, I'll let you see him accordingly.”

“You never do!” Frank scrambles to yell back, acting nonchalant but failing miserably.

Harry shrugs, “That's because you never behave.”

Frank grows redder and redder in the face. He’s panicking now, which is good. Harry can see where this is going. He inches in closer. Frank backs up against the wall instantly.

Harry shifts the light down towards Frank’s torso, squinting at the narrow space between it and the wall, “What is that behind your back? Anything I can’t see, huh?”

“I-It’s nothing.” Frank grits, shuffling his arms back.

“What’s the matter, buddy? If you're clean then why hide, why not share it with me? Or is it your dirty lil’ secret?” Harry asks, holding the person’s gaze with a hard stare, while gingerly shifting close to him.

“I told you, it's nothing.”

“Certainly not nothing!” The cop snaps, his voice booms across the corridor again, “Come off it, Iero, we both know what is going on. There’s no use lying anymore. The only reason I haven’t thrown you right in maximum security yet is because I want to hear this myself. So, why are you sneaking off?”

The inmate’s eyes go wide at the words ‘maximum security’, he gasps, “You have no right! See, I wasn’t doing anything, you didn’t see me in the Sub Wing, you can’t do that.”

Harry raises an uninterested eyebrow, “Oh? Believe me, I have every single right and reason. If you’re not trying anything why are you hiding, then? Why are you stuttering? I could hear your weak lie miles away. Where are you trying to go? What’s with the running. You tell me this isn’t suspicious at all? Do I have to see you outside this _fucking_ prison to know you’ve planned this escape? Or did you think we’re this _fucking_ stupid?”

Frank, surprisingly, doesn't flinch under Harry’s sudden snap. He merely stares back, “Well, that's all what you’ve been saying,” he says, trying to act smug, “You can't charge me for anything. Even if you put me into maximum security you'll eventually let me out, so why don't we forget this night has ever happened? You could, um let me go and we both can have a good night.”

“That's why I'm a cop and you're not,” Harry deadpans, “Think I'd let you go this easily? Don't be daft. I don't treat escapers lightly.”

“You can't take me! I-I have weapon,” The man pulls out another object behind his back, holding it in front of him defensively. Harry sees that it is a spanner.

“Yeah? So do I,” Harry rips out his stick from his front pocket, using the chance the press a button on his pager, the device to call backup.

He backs Frank up slowly until the inmate’s back hit the wall, causing him to jump and the spanner in his hands to drop. Harry smirks to himself. Trapping Frank’s shoulders with his arm, he uses his free hand to reach inside his pocket, pulling out a pair of metal handcuffs. He swings them back and forth in front of Frank’s eyes, “I have these as well.”

“No!” Frank start thrashing against the restraints, trying to get out of the warden’s arms.

“Don't struggle, or you'll leave me no choice. Yourself, too,” Harry warns him.

“Go away!” Frank shouts.

Harry huffs and turns the inmate around, forcefully pulling his arms backward and holds his wrists together. He scrambles to click the handcuffs open, while pressing his body against Frank’s, preventing him from moving.

“Move and I won't be hesitant to knock you out. Struggling is only adding time to how long you’re gonna be locked up.” Harry finished cuffing him. Then he pushes Frank’s shoulder against the wall again, just for good measure.

“Fucking cop. Let me go!” Frank curses under his breath and whines.

“If you don't know how to behave, let us help you behave.” Harry throws in. He pulls Frank up then. “C’mon now. Don't make me make you walk too. I'll question you later. I’m too tired of this.”

But the man keeps screaming profanities at him, while trying to get himself out of the handcuffs that has a chained linked to Harry. Harry tries to ignore them, it's in the middle of the night and he really doesn't have the best mindset to deal with escapers. His jaw tightens.

“How about you let me go, Sir?”

“How about you tell me who the heck is Blue Jones?” Harry finds himself blurting out.

The warden widens his eyes at himself. There is only a 50% chance that this is a useful thread, but now he’s asked it before any form of confirmation, so let it be.

A hint of alarm flashes across Frank’s face, before it goes back to normal. Of course, Harry catches this as well.

“I don't know anyone called B-Blue Jones,” Frank grunts out, but his voice quivers at the end.

Harry quirks an eyebrow, “Oh really, you don't know? Then why are you sharing a bank account with them?”

“I-I don't know! I've never heard of them before,” Frank says desperately, panic rising clear in his voice.

Harry ignores his pleas. He pulls the man away from the wall and pushes him forward, trying to make him walk. Frank eyes him suspiciously.

“Don't take my sub.” The inmate pleads after a while of deciding, “He doesn't know any of this.”

Harry stops and looks at him, “You sure? ‘Cause _that's_ not what I heard.”

Frank scowls at him, opening his mouth to speak. But just the, there are a group of guards running towards Harry.

“Sir, is there anything wrong?” One of them asks Harry, as if it isn’t obvious that Harry is holding up a handcuffed, fuming inmate. Harry says nothing, instead he merely thrusts the Dom in his hands forward and let the assistants take him to the maximum security floor. He can question him tomorrow, and he is sure that he will be able to rip something from the inmate’s tight mouth. But now he’s just so done with this. He wants nothing but to go home and snuggle into his large, yet cold and empty bed.

Harry begins to walk to the side and lets matters be handled — not by him. He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration, “Why on earth is people suddenly hiding something from me all at once?”

 

*

  
Harry should not be shocked when he enters his office the next day (afternoon) to discover a certain Submissive inmate that he half-accidentally befriended is already in there. No, he’s just pleasantly surprised.

“Oh?” Harry closes the door behind himself, “Didn't expect you to be here. How did you get in?”

Louis’ head snap up at the officer’s voice. “Commotion outside earlier on. Didn't wanna stay out,” He murmurs shyly, explaining with a blush on, “And I saw the door isn't locked so I thought you’d be in here. I'm sorry.”

“I didn't lock the door?” Harry narrows his eyes as he recalls his distant memories, “Oh yeah, I was too tired so I just left the key at the reception. And _now_ I have to go and take’em back.” He sighs softly.

“Right.”

“Today’s m’birthday.” Louis sniffs, announcing quietly.

Harry turns to him immediately, a smile playing on his lips, “Is it? What day is today again?”

Louis gives him a weird look, “Um, December 24th?” — because Christmas Eve should be a big day for normal people.

Harry’s jaw falls agape slightly, “Christ,” He breathes out after a beat, “It's Christmas already? Totally missed it.” _Guess that's why mom called me two days ago — Wait, did I actually just promised her a Christmas dinner?_ He groans to himself mentally.

Louis nods.

“How old?” Harry asks him softly.

“20,” Louis quips, “A proper adult, though I don’t wish to be one.”

“Oh?” Harry makes an interested sound, tilting his head, “Well, that calls for some celebration then.”

“I thought the ugly sweaters we’re allowed to knit this morning was already good celebration.”

“Nah,” The warden shakes his head, his curls swaying, “Coming of age is a big thing. C’mon, sit closer, miracle baby.”

Louis blushes at that, “I don't do celebration when I grew up.”

Harry just smirks at him and produces a new, unopened pack of biscuit out of nowhere, from under his desk. Louis eyes it curiously. It’s biscuits with mint chocolate filling.

“Seriously?” A short laugh bubbles up Louis’ throat, “Celebration as in more biscuits?”

“We don't do celebration around here too,” Harry provides matter-of-factly, “So don't tell anyone about this, yeah?” He winks at Louis, ripping off the package, “C’mon share this with me, keep it just between the two of us.”

“Just the two of us.”

Louis grins.

 

 

 


	7. Solace (Part 2.3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  i'm sorry i can't write
> 
> p.s. thanks all the lovely readers, *sobs* i wouldn't have made it here.

Three weeks has passed from then on and nothing really happened, other than the fact that winter this year is frustratingly shorter, to the point that some well-built inmates has already changed into their shorts. Louis hasn’t. Partly because he works in an air-conditioned room, partly because, well, other reasons.

Things goes on like always. It’s the Sub’s third month here in Lennox prison. Louis half wants to be able to get out sooner, balance the weight of the outside world on his own again; another half secretly wants to remain in this comfort heaven forever, even though that is highly impossible. It seems like fate is brought back into reality again, as Louis soon comes to the conclusion that the longer as this peacefulness last, the sooner _something else_ is bound to happen. Something about probability, probably. Also, Louis is just too used to expecting the worst in scenarios.

Nonetheless, life’s okay at the moment.

“Hey mate, what’ve you got there?” Josh nods towards Louis’ arms.

“Huh?” Louis asks, confused. He looks towards whether Josh is pointing. And oh, he knows what Josh is talking about now. There peeking out of his riled up long sleeves (it's really getting too hot outside) are a part of his scars.

“Uh…” Louis says dumbly, he shouldn't have rolled them up, “Just some past scars.”

“Apparently,” Josh rolls his eyes, “I mean, mate, how'd you get them?”

“Just, uh,” Louis shrugs, thrusting up a smile and hoping that it would suffice.

Josh merely hums absentmindedly, before his attention is drawn elsewhere. “Oh look! They're playing footsie out there. Let's join, c’mon!”

“But it's hot out there,” Louis protests, while secretly thanking whoever there is that Josh buys his lame excuse.

“You should've changed into shorts already.” Josh teases, pulling Louis up by the arms, immediately bouncing off once Louis is up.

Louis opens his mouth to speak, but then he looks outside and sighs. There are a few people that he knows, so he guesses it wouldn't be that bad, even though he’s so tired for no reason today. It just seems a fair day to lounge in.

Louis follows Josh to the field and carefully steps on the grass. There are already a few people kicking a ball-like thing around. It’s a makeshift ball made up of what seems like a bunch of paper and tape (because of course they would not  have a legit football in there), just like the chess games that they play inside.

Josh raises a hand to signal the other guys that they’ll be joining the game, so the other Subs spread the circle they formed to let them in. The guys kick the ball to the centre.

“Alright, that section of the fence there is the goal, so is the tree over there. Got it?” A Sub called Daniel points behind himself, “I'll be the goalie.”

Another Sub on Louis’ side calls out, Louis recognizes him as someone called Jim or Jimmy something, “Oh? You sure? Then I gotta be the goalie too.”

Soon they form a nice team, there isn't a lot of people playing, but there’s enough. The other team kick the ball first, it limps on the ground, swaying side by side because of its slightly irregular side.

Someone on Louis’ side gets the ball and kicks it away from himself, letting whoever catches it, catches it. There’s a small shout behind Louis indicates that someone has got it. Louis jogs to the side, ready to be the defense whenever needed.

That someone then kicks the ball to Josh, who dodges when another Sub on the opposite team dives at him. He transfers the ball to his left feet and back again, trying to swivel away from his opponent who is attempting to steal the ball under his feet. They’re pushing each other, the other guy tries to attack his fingers at Josh’s side, both cackling loudly.

Louis can't help but chuckle on the side. He cups a hand around his mouth and calls out a “Come on!”

Another Sub sneakily approaches Josh’s back, smirking smugly. Josh soon notices though, he shouted and kicks the ball between the two other man towering on his either side, sending it Louis’ way. Louis leaps to the action and manages to catch the paper ball with the mere tip of his slippers, he immediately guides it through the grass, skilfully missing another attack from the opposite team when they pass him, using his slimness as an advantage.

When he has made it to the fence, the “goal” of the other team (with someone stealing the ball and his teammate re-stole it and passed it back to him), the others has already jogged up to their defence. Louis circles around the pit, looking for a chance to let the ball go. He turns his body to the left and sees how the guys shifts their attention to the left, too. So not to waste such a precious moment, hiding a mischievous smirk as well, Louis lifts his feet.

He kicks the ball to the right.

He hears a round of gasps as the goalie, Daniel flies forward to catch the ball, but it has already bounces off the fence.

“Damn,” Daniel curses.

Louis’ team erupt in a chorus, while booing at the losing inmates. Louis topples over in laughter when he sees the sheer shock written all over their faces.

James, who is on the opposite team, shuts his gobsmacked mouth and picks up the ball. “Revenge!” He yells playfully, dropping the ball to the ground.

So the game is on again. After a few kicks here and there, the ball is back to circling around Josh and James again. Little do they know someone else is approaching them at the back where there is a gap between their bodies. Both men are too busy wrestling with each other. (“You can’t touch me! That’s not the rules!” Josh keeps saying, but no one listens to him.) Suddenly there is a foot stuck between them, then the ball is gone.

James looks to the his right and sees Jimmy running away with the paper ball, a devilish grin on his face.

"Hey! That’s cheating!” He whines.

“What? Who says this game is ever fair?” Jimmy throws and skips away with the ball. He passes it to Louis, who is right next to him now, who sends the ball away randomly.

The person, who turns out to be Daniel, catches the ball with his hands and runs forward. He tackles Jimmy to the ground to holds his arms to the latter’s shoulders. Josh cleverly retrieves himself from the knot they’re forming and walks back to Louis’ side, watching the scene.

“You. You are cheating!” Daniel accuses the lad lying on the ground, surprisingly, laughing.

“Am not!” Jimmy giggles, then backfires, “James is touching with his hands too!”

“But you are cheating though, we have to play fair!” Daniel argues, “C’mon, J, admit it!”

“No!” Jimmy protests, but then his eyes widen at the smirk that appears on Daniel’s lips, “No, don’t do that to me now. We’re in public!”

“Well ask me if I give a motherfuck?” Daniel sticks his tongue out.

“Get off!” Jimmy then laughs, swatting up at Daniel’s bicep that is holding his weight down. “Twat.”

“What did I just hear you call me?”

Daniel gasps, shocked, as the same time James says above them. “Well well well, looks like we need a punishment because you’re the cheater. We’re gonna play another game, we’re gonna throw the ball and you catch.”

Jimmy pushes Daniel’s body away from his own, jumps up and dashes away from the spot, while the other Sub is trying to catch him. He stands still when the other inmates starts circling him in, looking to the direction of the ball with a determined look.

“What was that just now?” Louis nudges at Josh, raising a curious eyebrow.

Josh gets that his friend is referring to Daniel and Jimmy, and to that, he just shrugs in response.

“You guys in?” James asks the other people watching them play, they have started to gather when Daniel starts bantering with Jimmy.

A few of them nods and joins in the circle, the others go back to what they were doing before. James throws the ball up high in the air to the other side of the circle, a guy catches it and passes it to Josh. Jimmy rushes to him, jumping up to get the ball. Josh throws it away at once.

Another Sub catches it. He waves at Louis to get his attention, “To your right!”

Louis turns to his right to catch the ball, he throws it across the circle back to James. After a few more passes, they’re all teasing Jimmy as they pass the ball from far corner to far corner so that he couldn't get it, but Jimmy finally catches it when it rolls on the ground. And of course, he makes the thrower of that pass, coincidentally Daniel, to be the catcher.

They had fun. At the end, everyone is exhausted so they decide to call it a day, as most people are just sitting on the pavement now.

“Wow I’m all sweaty,” Louis says to Josh, fanning himself.

“No wonder, but me too.” Josh replies.

Louis stops to ask an officer, “How long is it till shower time, Sir?”

The officer gives him an unimpressed look and grunts, flicking his wrist to check his watch. “About an hour. No going off to shower without supervision, boys.”

“Of course not, Sir.” Louis flashes him a polite smile, grimacing as he turns back. Some officers are surely less nice than others.

“Well I wanna change at least, see ya later.” Josh tells him. Louis smiles back at him, walking back to his own cell.

He wants to change too, but he can't change much if he is going to be stuck with long sleeves. He is not used to exposing his arms and torso, especially not in the tank tops that some of the others inmates are wearing. Louis lifts his sweat-infused shirt over his head, pulling out of it. He mindlessly tosses it on the thin mattress, going over the bed side cupboard to look for clean clothes.

His free arm subconsciously goes down to wrap around his tummy, not that he's conscious of having any fat (not that he has a lot) or something, it is just purely out of habit. He used to love feeling himself, but not all he could see, if not touch, are marks and scars that will forever remind him of the dark past. 

Louis looks down and sighs. His arms aren't even that bad, there is just this one long gash across his left forearm, the others are just faded marks from where rough ropes have held him down, or cigarette burns (Louis is thankful that cigarette burns are not frequent). He has broken or at least twisted them a few times though.

Louis sighs again, brushing a gentle thumb across the bumpy scar. He doubts if anyone would ever want him now. He isn't even sure if he still want someone too. It's all because of that one mistake he made years ago.

Louis eventually decides to wear a short sleeve and drapes a hoodie across his shoulders.

  
  


 

Friday night finds itself rolling in peace. Or maybe that’s only because Louis is in meditation, that he feels so relaxed. He’s sitting on his heels with his legs spread out, head bowed down instinctively, palm placed on the insides of his thighs, touching himself. He looks so peaceful, his posture still yet not stiff, unlike the others beside him, his breaths coming out in short heaves in his shoulder. His eyes are closed in ease, shut softly his lashes fluttering ever so barely against his high cheekbones, if one would only observed from afar. The boy himself, of course, wouldn’t notice.

Harry has given them a few minutes to relax on their own, then there is footsteps echoing around the hall. Louis tries to ignore it and focus on the rhythm of his breathing.

Suddenly a hand touches his back, spreading heat into it, sending unexpected tingles all over Louis’ spine. Then, a voice speaks into his ears. A deep voice, “Doing well. Sit up a lil’ bit straighter.”

The warmth leaves him as quick as it comes. Unexpected. Louis could barely react before the person walks away again. He opens his eyes and looks up. There Officer Styles is looking back at him with a small smile playing on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes 

Louis smiles at him gratefully and surprisingly, Harry winks back. Or it might as well be Louis’ pure imagination because the next second the warden is already turning back to instruct another inmate, then back to the centre of the room. Louis would like to think that Harry’s touch lingers on him a little while longer than the others, or it might as well also be a figment of his imagination because, well, meditation is what to make you relax and think.  
  
  


 

Louis never knows why he decides it would be a good idea to change just before bedtime.

But now here he is, stripped down to his boxers, with his bare backside facing out, bending down to take fresh clean clothes out of his cupboard, when he hears a voice calling for him right outside his door.

“Louis could you help me out with something that I — _what the_ _fuck?_ ”

Louis freezes, dropping the clothes back into the drawer. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why that person has stopped what they were saying so abruptly. So Louis squeezes his eyes shut in frustration. He has two options: i) say he could explain this but don’t. ii) tell whoever the fuck it is to keep their mouth shut.

But once he takes a deep breath and turns around, he knows he could stand no chance. Because there Officer Styles is, staring at him with his eyes blown wide, his mouth agape and wearing the shockest expression on his face. 

Louis gasps, immediately snatching his discarded clothes on his mattress to cover up his front, which is also scarred, less so, but still full of them. “Officer I could ex — ” 

Harry holds up a firm hand, effectively silencing the Submissive. Louis bites on his lips harshly out of habit, clutching the fabric close to his chest, eyes equally as wide staring at the warden. But the warden is not looking at him, he is staring at the messy lines laying across Louis’ collarbones.

“Turn around.” 

Harry’s voice is gravely.

Louis can’t help but follow the deep voice, deeper than usual. He turns around slowly, his arms going to hug himself in the front. He feels his spine chills, listening to the footsteps coming closer, indicating Harry is entering his cell. He hopes he closes the door as well. He doesn’t know what Harry would say, he doesn’t know what he _should_ say. 

“How...W-What are those?” The officer stutters. Louis has never heard him stutter.

He gulps.

“Who gave you them?” Harry’s voice is the same low, but there's a hint of a growl to it. 

Louis shivers when he realizes the officer is closer to him than he thought. He turns his head to the left, only to find Harry is right beside him, facing his side. He is bent down a little, now observing the tiny bumps that litter on wherever on Louis’ back with full interest. Louis is still speechless, his breath caught in his throat and he feels as if his bottom lip is going to bleed from the force he is biting it with. Louis just watches with a pounding heart. 

Harry experimentally places a palm on Louis’ left shoulder, Louis almost leans into to it. It is a ghost of a touch, hovering, barely there, and warm against Louis’ bare skin. Harry uses the back of his index to thumb over a long scar just beneath Louis’ shoulder blades, which hasn’t even yet completely faded into white. He presses slightly into it. Louis hisses and flinches a bit at the remaining soreness under the healed skin.

He looks up. He’s surprised to see shock, horror and — sadness? — in Officer Styles’ eyes. 

Harry’s frown deepens. He has came over the inmate’s cell to ask him to help with something in the prison. What he saw, at the first moment, was the boxers that hang half way up a defined bum because of the way that Louis has bent slightly down. But his gaze is very quickly averted by the horrid state on Louis’ back, barely noticing the ones surrounding his legs too. 

“Are the ones on your arms, those I saw the other day, caused by the same reason?” Harry asks slowly, as if he’s pondering which words to use the best.

Louis says very carefully, “More or less.” 

“This is the second time I see scars like this on you, even the most oblivious person can point out these are not natural,” Louis opens his mouth to speak but Harry cuts him to it, “and definitely not some accident such as falling down the stairs can do 

“...these are not accident, are they?” Harry’s voice is quiet, ghosting over a whisper, but it holds much more solemnity than it seems. Louis blows out a breath, he really wants to put on some clothes back on now, to hide his embarrassment away, but he can’t, because he is held by such intensity in the officer’s gaze. Suddenly Harry feels very close to him. He drops his gaze, and that gives his answer away. 

“What happened? Tell me Louis...C’mon. You can tell me.”  Louis looks back up when a breeze of the wind chills his spine. Harry’s eyes are shining with sincerity. 

Louis bites his lips and turns to face Harry, sucking a deep breath, his voice coming out wavering, “Maybe I was...bullied back in school?”

“Like hell you are!” The warden exclaims, shutting his eyes momentarily and pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. He opens them again, gesturing to Louis’ back vaguely, “These...these here look fairly new, from the way you still flinch when I press down…” He continues to himself, wondering out loud, “I’d say no more than a few months back, and it isn’t even a one-off thing.”

Louis groans to himself. He cannot let this continue, he cannot let Officer Styles keep on pestering him because he knows that he will not be able to control himself and let the truth slip. He’s not ready. He quickly puts the clothes that he is clutching back on.

“So around these few months...Did this happen in prison? Fuck that.” Harry snaps his gaze to Louis, who is trying to pull his pants back on, “Who is it? Who did this? Tell me!” 

“No, officer I — ” Louis tries to move past Harry’s body to get to his door. 

“No, don't you dare move,” Harry glares at Louis and grabs him back by the shoulder, the Sub whimpers quietly and flinches away from him. Harry’s first instinct is to calm him first, but he can't right now.

“Why do you want to know?” Louis asks in an almost pained voice.

“I have to know because it’s my responsibility as a prison guard to make sure nothing happen in this cell.” Harry booms, but turning his voice down in a harsh, low mutter, “Besides, how do you suppose I could leave it alone with the scars all over you looks more than suspicious while you deliberately refuse to talk about it for _months_?”

“So did. Anyone. Hurt. You?” Harry grits through clenched teeth, his Dom voice perking up.

Louis gasps softly.

“I...Please Officer I'm not ready, please don't make me say it,” He begs. 

“Or is it...who were you staying with before you’re in prison? Gosh I only looked at that part of your profile briefly. _Hang on_ , don’t tell me it’s your — ” Harry widens his eyes as one important fact dawns on him.

“Please Louis.” He says in horror, “Please tell me it's not what I think it is." 

“No!” Louis whisper-shouts, widening his eyes as well, “Nonono you’re not supposed to know.”

But Harry keeps muttering to himself, “Gosh, why didn’t I see this sooner. That day in the other room I’ve already seen it but I convinced myself that it might not be anything serious, even though as shattered as the skin on your arms look. Oh fuck,” He bends down to inspect the nubs and pink lines littering beneath Louis’ collarbones, a grimace turning up on his face, “These...Are these from k-knives?” 

“No, that was from…cane,” Louis says really softly, casting his gaze down.

“B-But that’s a big no-hit zone.” Harry breathes out. 

“Of course.” 

“So it’s true then?” Harry begins in half-wonder and half-disbelief, “Your...Dom did that? But...”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Louis spits out. 

“Why? It’s not like he could get to you here,” Harry resonates. 

“Oh you may never know! Why else do you think I'd choose to rather be in a prison? Or what else do you think I’d rather chose to go in a freaking prison for?” Louis snaps, “ If someone, anyone, knows and try to stand up for me and I get thrown out and god knows how soon he’ll find me again and what he’d do to me. I’d rather die than see him again!”

Louis finally pushes past Harry. He grabs his hoodie on the door handle (because he has got no shirt on) and rushes out. He knows this has got to be the stupidest decision he has ever made made, running away from a warden who is hot on his trail, now he’s got even more questioning to be one. He does not know which direction he’s running to, does not care, he just wants a places to himself and be completely alone, to sort out his thought and decide how much he is going to tell Officer Styles to at least keep himself safe, because the officer is bound to ask. Maybe the bathroom would be good, he just hopes he won’t be punished for running off since it is bedtime already. 

Louis clutches the flaps of the hoodies to himself tighter, angry tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. He has been keeping everything to himself so well, and now Officer Styles has to come and ruin all his efforts, _and_ he has to give in and spill everything. 

He’s in too much of his own headspace that he didn’t realize where he is going. 

Harry’s mouth goes slack for a moment before he could register what is going on, and when he finally does so, he immediately chases out of the room. Seeing the absolute terror in the Sub’s eyes, he could see nothing but the truth. A heavy lump settles in his chest, like a weight has squeezed his throat shut. It’s not like the warden has never seen injuries before, he just never expected this, here so brutally marking Louis’ torso, an inmate whom he’s actually came to like. 

He runs out of the compartment, but said inmate is nowhere to be found. Harry races down the empty hall, trying to get a glimpse of the small figure, his heart thumping in his chest from, but other guards is all he sees. Harry sighs in defeat, turning around just when a blonde is splinting towards him. 

“Harry you’ve gotta — ” A frantic Niall starts, but Harry cuts him to it by shouting.

“Niall have you seen Louis?!”

“He - he ran into the Dom Wing.” Niall looks up at him with terror in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  kudos, comments are very much appreciated. thanks and see y'all very soon ;)


	8. Solace (Part 2.4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  if you wanna have a visual of Blue Jones (y´know, Louis´ ex-Dom i.e. abuser) just google the same name. sorry to offend if any of you who like him. ;)

Louis doesn´t know where he is.

Through the haze of his tears, he thought that was the way to the bathroom. But now as he bursts through the door, he could only an endless darkness indicating he´s standing in the middle of another whole building. He whips around with frightened eyes to see where he is, the surroundings mirrors exactly the Sub wing yet it´s definitely somewhere else.

A loud clatter of footsteps heads his way. Louis gasps sharply and turns around to see what it is. He tugs the front of his hoodie closer and slowly backs up to the wall behind himself. He looks around, the lights are out and only left to illuminate the dark spaces are the moonlight and the small lamps on the wall. The footsteps start up again, Louis´ heart thumps loudly against his chest. He decides to hide into a corner.

Louis lets himself slide to the ground, wrapping his arms around his bent-up legs. He drops his head on his knees, willing the person to go away and willing his tears to dry. He can´t handle these two things at once.

The footsteps come close, then stopped. Louis holds his breath, trembling. Slowly, he peeks from between the gaps of his arms to see who it is, he hopes it´s someone to get him out of this scary place.

There´s a man in the shadow.

_“Darling, looks like we meet again.”_

Louis snaps his head up at the oddly familiar voice. He could only see a dark blurry figure as the man has his body against the light. He could see his straight, long hair that curls up when it reaches his shoulders. Louis can´t help but to let out a distressed whimper, shrinking even more into himself.

The man dares to take a further step towards the shaking boy, who attempts to turn his face side-ways so that the attacker couldn´t see his pooling tears. The man bends down and his arms extends, opening his mouth to speak again.

Louis lets out a loud scream.

 

*

 

_  ―  “He - he ran into the Dom Wing.” Niall looks up at him with terror in his eyes ― _

“Fuck !” Harry curses loudly, causing Niall to wince at the volume of his voice, “That´s not good. Not at all,” The officer brushes his curls back with a hand, gripping his hair tightly, “Niall, you stay here. I´ll go see. Keep your device on, ´kay? I´ll call if I need help. Send Zayn in if I do, yeah?”

Niall nods rapidly, still too shocked to form a word. One look at his friend´s furrowed eyebrows he could feel his urgency.

Just a moment earlier he was boredly pacing around the hallway, the next second Louis is already rushing past him, so fast that he couldn´t even catch the inmate. He hears him choking out a cry as he went past him. Niall´s eyes widened to see where the Sub is heading but he knows he can´t go into the Dom Wing. One Submissive inmate plus a Submissive officer could cause too much chaos, so he did his next best choice which is to look for Harry. He knows only the warden, Harry, or probably his own Dom, Zayn, could possibly handle the situation. And the next second Harry is already splinting out, chasing after the Sub.

Harry nods back curtly and immediately rushes off to the small, slightly hidden corridor behind them -- it´s most possibly where Louis had run off to. His boots clank loudly against the ground as he reaches behind his waist, pulling out his stick and lowers it. He carefully pushes open a door and heads in.

The warden holds his breath, trying not to make any unnecessary noises. The building is dark, as it should be at night time. Even though Harry is very familiar around the places in the Dom Wing, he can´t help but feel a chill down his spine as he walks around, thinking of how Louis is currently on his own, wandering around in this risk-filled and unfamiliar place.

He comes to an abrupt stop as a deep, almost evil chuckle fills his ears. Then a drastic scream.

Harry springs into action, running to the source of the heart-piercing sound. Soon he sees a dark figure leaning down, holding his hand out as if he´s trying to pet, or hit something. There´s a lump in the shadow, and without a doubt Harry knows it is Louis. His blood boils.

“Get your hands  _ off  _ him !” Harry barks.

The figure jumps away and starts to turns back. Harry leaps forward, barely catching the sleeve of the Dom inmate´s shirt. With a death grip on the fabric, he twists the person around and presses him against the wall with a push. The inmates attempts to kick Harry in the legs with his heel but Harry presses his knee into the bottom of the man´s spine where he knows will make me at least uncomfortable.

“Move, or I´ll shoot.” Of course Harry wouldn´t shoot, he only does it for the effect. He leans into the inmate´s neck, who is almost as tall as Harry and buffier, so Harry lets his voice to the job. He grits his teeth and mumbles, his voice scarily low, “Leaving cell for no reason at night. Wandering around. Disobeying rules. Struggling against a guard. Approaching a Sub.” Harry rattles off, taking a quick glance to his right, “He´s crying for god´s sake. Think about your prison sentence, ´mate.”

With a hard shove, Harry fixes the Dom to his spot and silences him again with a burning glare. Wordlessly, he produces a pair of handcuffs and cuffs one of his wrists, bringing it up to secure it with the metal bar on a small window above them, so he won´t be able to escape. He still haven´t figured out who this Dom is since they´re in the dark, but Harry decides he´ll deal with that later, because he´s got some much more important things to do right now.

Harry gulps, then begins taking small, tentative steps closer to Louis. He crouches down to the Sub´s level and settles right in front of him, making sure he could be seen. Louis regards him warily, moving to shuffle himself back to the hard wall. Harry´s breath falters at the sight.

“Hey,” So he begins as gentle as he could, “C´mon. It´s over now. I ´m gonna get you out of here.”

Louis makes a small noise in the back of his throat and begins to get up staggeringly, palms clutching the sharp edges of the wall. sniffs and brings a hand up to wipe at his face in embarrassment. Harry´s first instinct is to reach for his biceps to help him up, but when Louis flinches away from him with a startle, he pulls away guiltily. However, once Louis manages to stand up, he stumbles forward and his knees buckles, falling right onto Harry. Harry gasps and immediately wraps a strong arm around the Sub to steady him, pulling him to himself to keep him from falling. At the same time, the cuffed inmate behind them starts to shout. Louis lets out another whimper into Harry´s chest.

“What´s wrong? Are you injured? Did he hurt you?” Harry asks frantically at once, holding onto Louis while trying to rub soothing circles into his back.

“No.” Louis squeaks out, his voice still heavily laced with horror.

Harry visibly relaxes. He pats Louis´ back, shushing him softly in the ears ( _ “Hey, hey, shh, I´ve got you.” _ ) while the boy is trying to catch his breath back. Louis tugs on Harry´s arms to hoist himself up, but his legs gives out as soon as a loud banging starts up behind him, followed by some shouting. Harry catches him right on time and reaches a hand under his bum, picking him up instead. Louis lets out a surprised squeal but latches on, looking up at Harry with face still stained with escaped tears.

“Hold on to me,” Harry instructs, moving his hand from Louis´ bum to underneath his knees, “Gonna get you out as soon as possible.”

Louis nods and hides his face into where Harry´s neck meets his shoulder. Harry throws a desperate glance back to the dark building behind them, hoping that the Doms won´t make too much of a fuss soon. He hurries to the door, just as Zayn appears.

“Harry ! I heard, what´s happenin´ here?” Zayn yells once he sees Harry. A few Dominant guards comes through the door as well, taking in the scene in front of them. Zayn´s eyes land upon Louis, who is currently whining lowly into Harry´s uniform, “ _ Oh _ . Is everything okay?”

Harry looks down at the boy in his arms, “He´s okay. Just petrified s´all. Gotta take him to Paul to make sure though.” He replies, referring to their prison doctor.

Zayn hums in acknowledgement. “Uh, how about I take him to Paul instead? I think it´s more efficient if you go calm the inmates rather than me, they´re not familiar with me.”

“Alright.” Harry only takes a moment to ponder as the Doms are getting louder. Then he begins to move Louis onto Zayn´s awaiting hands. Louis rolls his head sideways and looks up at the warden, teeth digging into his bottom lip silently. Harry can´t help but to reach out to brush away a piece of stray fringe that is covering Louis´ eyes. He speaks in a warm tone, only comforting, “You´ve got a lot of explaining to do. But later, yeah?”

Assured that Louis is in good hands, Harry begins to walk back into the dark building, motioning for the guards to follow him. He points at the disgruntled Dom who is cuffed to the wall, “First, take him away. Just, wherever, to solitary maybe.”

  
  
  


It takes a lot of convincing and a bit of yelling to shoo the angry Doms back into their cells, since they´re all unhappy that they´ve been woken up from their sleeps. They could be real kids sometimes. Harry hurries to get out of the Dom Wing, as his mind can´t help but to travel to a certain Submissive. There´s a lot of questions swimming in his head, all dedicated to Louis. Is he telling the truth? Why is he is prison? God, how badly is he hurt, or rather, abused?

Harry jogs to the medical room where Zayn has brought Louis to, he rips open the door and greeting him is Paul.

“Harry, you´re here. The Sub is all good to go, but he wouldn´t say what happened though. Me and Zayn tried coaxing it out of him but nothing worked. Maybe you could try.” Paul (explains), clapping a hand on Harry´s shoulder as if it is a good luck gesture. Harry nods his thanks to the doctor and peeks into the room.

Louis is sitting up on a bed that is seated in the middle of the room, behind him is a row of cabinets filled with medical stuffs. He is rolling down the (legs of) his pants and settles back onto a pillow perched on the mattress. Harry knocks quietly on the door twice, just as Louis looks up vacantly to the doorway. Louis offers him a shy smile, a mere tug at the corner of his lips, though it looks more like a grimace to Harry.

The warden takes it as his cue to walk into the room. He pulls up a random chair near the bed and sits down right next to Louis´ side, looking up at him expectantly. Louis shys away after a minute or so from Harry´s gaze and drops his eyes onto his lap again, playing with his finger with his teeth worrying his bottom lip.

Harry blows out a big sigh through his nose and crosses his arms in front of his chest. Clearing his throat, he asks the first question that comes to mind. “Are you alright?”

Louis´ eyes snap up to him, as if he´s not expecting the worried undertone beneath Harry´s sharp look. “I ´m okay, sir.” He whispers in a small voice.

“Good,” Harry replies softly, “Are you sure? Coz you look pretty shaken up.”

“I ´m really fine, Officer.”

“Right. So going back to what happened earlier, do you have anything you´d like to tell me?”

Louis groans in response, he doesn´t want to answer but he knows he has to. “No.” He mumbles meekly.

“You know you´ve got to tell me sometime soon, or I´ll just keep pestering ´bout it. Sooner is better than later, yeah? You´ve been saying things, ‘saying too much’ as you claim it, and now I can´t help but to worry what´s been going on, so will you tell me?” Harry coos gently, using the same voice he´d use when he has to coax the truth out of particular difficult inmates. Except this time he genuinely wants to hear what Louis is to tell him. “I´ve already got a picture of what happened, and now I just need you to confirm it, can you do that for me? I promise you won´t get in any trouble for this.

“Beside, you´re stuck here with me. I ´m a very petulant officer. So no chance to escape from your fate, buddy.” Harry adds, in a joking tone.

However, Louis winces at the words and gasps loudly. He looks up at Harry in sheer panic as if he remembers something, eyes watering immediately. His hands move to grip at the bed sheets. A whimper escapes his throat. “No.” The timid protest falls from his parted lips. He looks like he´s in a trance.

Harry´s eyes widen when he realizes what he might have said. He hurries to clutch one of Louis´ hands in his in an attempt to apologize, “Louis? I ´m sorry, I...I was just trying to lighten the mood. I didn´t know it would be triggering for you, I ´m so sorry.”

Louis takes a look of the officer´s face filled with sorrow, his eyes wide with alarm mirroring a kicked puppy. The Sub shakes his head sadly and takes a few deep breaths, his chest heaving up and down for a moment but he´s quick to re-compose himself. He pants out, hiccoughing a bit, “I ´m okay. I ´m alright. I know you´re not being serious, it´s just...a bit too much for me in a day.” He drops his face into his hands.

“It´s my fault. I ´m sorry.” Harry says again, “So how about I ask you questions and you tell me yes or no. Would that be easier for you?”

Louis sucks in a deep breath and close´s his eyes momentarily, “Yeah, alright.”

Harry clears his throat and sits back in his chair, as Louis shifts, fidgety, on the mattress. “So it´s true then? All the, um, scars and wounds are given by your Dominant?”

Louis is quiet for a moment that stretches to minutes. His cerulean blue eyes flickers to the officer´s from time to time, chewing at the inside of his lips. He looks like he wants to speak for a few times, but ends up shutting his mouth.

Harry´s eyes soften, he gently pats on the back of Louis´ tangled fingers as a comforting gesture, “It´s okay. Take your time.”

Louis´ gaze flicks to him again. Harry adds an assuring smile. Louis gulps, and then, “Yes,” he admits.

“This is not a one time thing?”

“No. I mean yes, it is not.”

Harry breathes out a worried sigh, “Is it abuse?”

“Yes, I think.”

“You think?” 

“Yes.” Louis repeats more firmly this time, “He calls them punishments but he does it out of the blue all the time. S-sometimes I may just be sitting there and he´ll hit me, or do me -- do sexual things to me even though I tell him to stop.”

Harry’s heart drops to his stomach. This is worse than he thought. If what the boy is saying is true, it means that not only did his Dom abused him, but he also raped him. Harry’s brows are scrunched together as he swallows through the lump in his throat difficultly.

“So did you safeword?”   

“All the time, I don´t want it a bit.” Harry could hear the hint of venom in the Sub’s voice.

“What would he use on you. You mentioned a cane?”

“Yes.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.” Louis´ voice cracks in the middle.

“What?”

“The usual. Meaning paddles, floggers, belts. Sometimes even a knife.” He lets out a sob, “F-Forcefully.”

Then Louis breaks down, yet again. It´s like a dam is being broken. He coughs out a hivvup and curls into himself, hiding his face into his knees and chokes out wrenching sobs, shoulders shuddering shakily. Right now, he hates himself for willingly spilling all these out to the officer because it means he has to re-live them all. He should have stopped by now, he should a long time ago. He hopes that somehow Harry isn´t his officer, but at the same time he knows the truth´s out, it´s inevitable after all.

“P-Please,” He manages between cries, “Give me a moment.”

Harry watches his quivering frame helplessly. His heart aches for the boy, there is something about Louis that makes Harry feel more than he normally does, maybe that’s because Harry could hear past the suppressed pain behind Louis´ sobs, every time he cries. He wants badly to help the Sub, to comfort him, it is almost in his nature. But he can´t, not right now at least. He takes out a pack of tissue from his pocket and pulls out a piece of them.

“Louis. Look up at me.” Louis looks up weakly at him with reddened sad eyes and trembling lips, tears brimming over freely.

That’s when Harry´s heart truly breaks. In Louis´ eyes, he could see nothing but utter truth. There is so much pain in his eyes, just as much as the desolation, so raw, and pure truth. The once aqua blue eyes are now stormy and grey, the tears washing over and dripping freely. He´s curled up into a ball, which makes him look even smaller. At the same time, Harry is also horrified. He could not fathom how on earth could a Dominant have the heart to hurt a Sub (whom they’re supposed to protect), such delicate things, especially the one who is currently pouring his heart out next to him. That would be a monster´s doing. Knowing Louis, who always pulls himself back from saying too much, the things he gone through must be a lot worse than how casual he makes them out to be.

Harry hands the tissue to the inmate and watches him mops his face with it. His breath almost stops at the way how Louis looks down, all while refusing to meet his eyes. He never noticed how long his lashes are.

A pause, “Where have you got scars?”

“Everywhere.”

“...No-hit zones?” Harry hesitates.

Louis scoffs with a bitter laugh, but there´s no humour in it, “There´s no such thing. No-hit zones are his hit zones. You’ve seen it. ”

“But if he´s abusing you, then why didn’t you tell anyone about this? ” Harry challenges.

“I don´t want to.”

“Yeah, why not?”

“I didn´t want to tell anyone because they would either think I´m saying this just to get out or they´ll try to get me out of here themselves, which would be a hassle because when I´m out and about,  _ he  _ could still get to me, he could still hurt me  !! You don’t know what he could d-do, Sir.”

Louis looks like he’s ready to cry again. Harry calms him quickly. “It´s okay, shh, I believe you. So you´re completely innocent?”

“Well,  _ no _ , I did hit him in the head, but I guess it could be called self defence ´cause he was hitting and thrusting into me so hard I thought I was gonna die right there and then.”

“Hmm,” Harry hums, brows furrowed slightly in thought, “We´ll come back to that later. So let me get this straight, you...were abused, seriously, during your stay with your past Dominant, right?”

“Yes.” Louis nods.

“Have you ever tried to get out of the house, or his mansion?”

“No. Well, yes, I think about it all the time. But he physically chained or locked me up, and I wouldn’t risk my life for that. He - ” Louis pauses, fear clouding over his eyes, “He’s everywhere.”

“And prison is the way you managed to get away from him.” Harry finishes.

Louis chews his bottom lip before he nods,  “Yes. Uh, only chance I could take.” His cheeks flame up a tad with embarrassment.

Harry blows out a deep sigh, shaking his head gently. Louis tries to wipe under his eyes discreetly when he thinks Harry is looking away.

“But Louis, have you ever thought of pressing charges to him?” The warden suggests carefully, “You know, let justice decide?”

“No, truly, no. I ´m already here and safe, away from him. Bringing this to court would mean I will have to see his face again, which is the last, last thing I ever want. And if - what if I lose against him? Then he´ll take me back and definitely would put me through even more hell. I ´m not brave enough for that.” Louis admits.

“So completely no?” Harry tries. “But you should. No one should get away with anything.”

Louis shakes his head the last time, “No. Officer, not in the likely near future.”

“Look, Sir,” Louis heaves out a breath after a long beat of silence, “I don´t really care if you believe me or not. I never plan to get out of here anyways, quite the opposite actually. I wouldn´t tell you all these if you never found out, so p-please, um, could you keep it a secret?”

“Well I don´t see why you don´t wanna press charges but I ´ll respect your wish. I may need some time to think over this or some more solid proofs, though.” Harry gives him a little reassuring smile, “But your secret is safe with me for now, well except a few senior officers, such as the vice warden. I have the duty to report this kind of stuffs.”

Louis gives a little twist to his mouth, “Fair enough, I guess.”

“Right, I ´ll leave it off here for the time being. I ´m sure all the events tonight have taken a toll on you, you´d need the rest. You can stay here for the night. If there´s anything more I need from you, I ´ll see you tomorrow anyways.” The warden concludes, before patting Louis´ thighs gently, smiling sadly, “Try to sleep well.”

Harry stands up which makes Louis looks up at him, with feigned innocent eyes but Harry could just see how much tiredness there is behind them. To Harry, this makes Louis look even smaller than he already is, sitting on the clinic bed looking all exposed and vulnerable. The Dominant in Harry really wants to just wrap the Sub in a tight embrace and coo at him, but he knows he can´t. So Harry just keeps his face as straight as possible and waves two fingers at Louis, who mumbles a barely audible, “Goodbye, Sir.” Harry walks out the room with an even heavier weight in his head.

When the warden reaches his own office, he is surprised to see two person already in there, waiting for him. Two of his real life best friends, to be precise. His brows shoot up in confusion.

“Oh? You two are still here? I thought duty was over.” Harry sits down across Zayn and Niall who are seated on his couch. He stills has a few hours before his own duty is down.

“We wanted to know what´s happening.” Zayn speaks up.

“About…?” Harry´s brows only furrow deeper.

“Louis, ´course,” Niall quips softly, “There´s something about him, innit?”

“Sure, yeah,” Harry runs his large hand through his  _ long _ curls. A habit that he´s developed for when he´s troubled. “The situation  _ is _ a bit sticky. I ´m still trying to wrap my head ´round it, to be frank.”

And like that, Harry tells his two best friends, as well as colleagues, about what Louis has told him back in Paul´s clinic. He leaves out the part about how he finds out and all his personal emotions. When he´s finished at last, the three of them all look equally stricken.

It´s Zayn who speaks first, draping a tried palm across his face, “So, Harry, you believe him?”

“Generally, that I do,” Harry nods tentatively, “I have my own other reasons, that´s for sure.”

Zayn narrows his eyes in thought, but eventually breathing out a deep sigh. “Well, if you say so. I trust your judgement.”

“So.” Niall clears his throat, “What are we gonna do now?”

“I - ” For once in a lifetime, the young warden is actually at a lost for words, “I seriously don´t know. I ´m too tired to even think right now. But all I know is that letting the criminal get away with such brutal, heartless doing is totally not acceptable by me.”

“It seems like Louis would need a lil´ bit more convincing then.” Zayn shrugs.


	9. Solace (Part 2.5)

To Harry’s (expected) dismay, Louis has seem to be avoiding him like the plague ever since the night at the Dom Wing. Or at least Harry thinks so. It's been a few days and in those few days, Harry has only seen the inmate coming and going from his duty at the library, without being able to catch up with him. The warden is always a few seconds away from calling his name, before Louis turns away from him again into a corner. Louis is distant, while Harry is just desperate to talk to him.

After that fateful night with Louis, Harry had sat down, despite his utter exhaustion, to type out a full report to his boss, the head of the Correction Department. He explained what has been going on, what the officers saw and believed, what are his plans. After he did all that, he sighs deeply and pushes his laptop away from himself, running a hand through his hair again. He should’ve coax more information from the Submissive before sending the report. 

On top of that, he wonders if Louis is okay. He did not worry, not at all. Or maybe just a little bit.

He has to find out.

\---

 

Louis wakes up to the sound of people talking outside, and his blank wall. He stretches his arm out to reach for the clock, only to find out that he has missed the alarm again. Sighing, he feels around for his blanket but he could touch nothing. He sits up a little bit to see it, yet again, at the end of the bed, presumably kicked away by him in the middle of the night.

The Sub settles back down on the bed, dragging a hand over his hair. It must be another nightmare which he doesn't remember at all. Now that is the frustrating part. These nameless night terrors only renders him to unreasonable exhaustion.

Deciding that he'll miss breakfast altogether, Louis finally sits up to brush his teeth. He doesn't been bother checking himself in the mirror, for he knows he’ll sure be looking not at his best. He fixes his hair the best possible and slumps down on the mattress again, crossing his legs together.

He’s lucky that he still has a few unfinished books from the library on his shelf. So to kill time, Louis sets on to read them all.

However, his momentary solace doesn't last long. Soon, he finds himself looking up at the stranger who has entered his room uninvited. Louis gives an exaggerated pout to his page, marking it reluctantly. 

“Alright. What do you want?”

“That is no way to speak to the officers, Mr. Tomlinson.” Harry scolds.

“It’s so nice to see you on such a fine day, Sir.” Louis sasses back, speaking in a fake sweet tone.

“Now don’t be difficult, Louis.” Harry rolls his eyes, plopping himself down besides Louis softly.

Louis opts not to give a verbal response, looking down onto his closed book, shrugging.

“Why didn’t you come out all day at all, in the past few days?” Harry sets his tone the mildest he can, even though he has been waiting so long for that answer already.

Louis shrugs again, deciding against giving a reply. Harry sighs to himself. He should’ve known Louis would be difficult, from the minimal past experience he’s got. Louis’ vault of “secrets” is incredibly hard to break, as well as the big wall he’s built around himself. Everyone in this prison is an open book to Harry, Louis is, too, but only selectively. Even if Louis has told him his biggest secret a few nights before, it just doesn’t mean he would automatically open up entirely to Harry. Information still has to be forced out of him, very gently.

Louis finally cannot stand the pair of eyes bearing into the top of his skull. Eventually he sighs, shifting awkwardly on the bed and looks up at Harry in defeat, who is looking down at him expectantly. Harry offers him an exceptional warm smile, encouraging/urging him to go on. “I just - doesn’t feel like coming out. S’all.” He admits.

“Is it because of what happened earlier?” Harry asks kindly.

“Uh. Yes. K-Kind of.” The inmate’s voice grows smaller.

“Oh,” Harry mutters, “Are you avoiding me, then?”

Louis looks sheepish. “I'm not avoiding you, per se, I'm just avoiding the conversation.”

“What conversation?” Harry furrows his brows, confused.

“ _ This _ ,” Louis gestures around vaguely, “You're bound to wanting more information from me, aren't you?” He huffs, gnawing at his still slightly jutted out bottom lip.

Harry averts his gaze, sighing in sympathy, “This must be hard for you, I know that. I’m sorry to say this but we want more, we need more information to know which steps we’re going to take next. Or just have a more general idea so that we could work with you better. You can’t just leave me hanging there, love, like telling me something but not all of it.”

“I’m not intentionally escaping from the talks we’ll be having,” Louis swallows, a pretty rose colour tinting up his cheekbones. They’re in fact quite sharp, Harry notices. “The past few nights, those vivid images from the past are coming back to me. That’s what has been keeping me up.” Louis explains, with a little yawn on cue.

“Well then maybe you should let it out altogether, y’know. Bottling it up is not good, maybe by talking to people you could actually relieve some stress?” Harry persuades, although it comes out more like a question.

“This is what I’ve been dreading!” Louis exclaims, “I don’t wanna be asked. I don’t wanna feel like being interrogated. I-I don’t wanna relive it all again.”

There’s a weird feeling to Harry’s stomach, as if it’s being twisted. Louis’ voice is growing softer by the seconds and Harry could just see how in fact tired he is, as if he could see it all, and the constant pout on his face these few days. He bites his lips. “Hey,” He says in a soothing voice, “We’re not going to force you. If the truth is as you said it, you’re the victim, there’s no reason we’re gonna force you into anything. We just wanna help and to do that, we have to know just a bit more. Such as, the exact extent to the whole thing.”

Louis’ shoulders slump down, his gaze drops to the ground again. 

“You need time, I know. And I also know it's not my place to say things like this,” Harry carefully places a hand over the Sub’s tangled ones, testing the waters and to offer pure support, “but running away from the past isn't exactly healthy. You’d have to face it in order to truly move on.”

Louis sighs, absentmindedly smoothing out a wrinkle on the bed sheets. “Of course I knew that, but I just can’t.”

“You can,” Harry insists, “All you have to do is to try.”

Louis chuckles sadly, “Well, thank you for that, Sir. Didn’t know you’re such a wise therapist too.”,”

Harry shrugs. If he hears a bit of sass he doesn’t show it. “Nah, just occasionally learn a thing or two from people.”

“Hey, c’mere.” 

Harry scoots on the bed, so that he could be closer to Louis to bring him into a much-needed hug. Sympathy and comfort is the best he could do for the Sub right now. Louis peers up at Harry curiously when the warden suddenly moves closer, but when Harry opens his arms wide with an inviting smile on his lips, he lets out an amused giggle and falls right into those arms. 

Louis is naturally smaller than Harry so that the top of his head comes right under Harry’s chin, his face pressed against Harry’s left shoulder, blocked by merely a thin piece of clothing. Harry brings him into a one-armed hug, and soon wraps his other hand around Louis’ waist too, patting the area twice. Louis slowly melts into the embrace, gingerly, hugging back with his sweater paws spread on the Dom’s broad back. He exhales softly and shuts his eyes.

“Sometimes I think I may never be okay again.” Louis admits softly, his voice barely above a secretive mumble.

Harry’s stomach twists uncomfortably again. “You’ll be okay,” he whispers, “You’re already very brave for someone who’s gone through what you did. It takes a lot of courage and wit to use get away in this way. You did what you could to save yourself. Even if it means going to prison for a crime you shouldn´t be charged with.” 

Louis sniffs and shakes his head sadly.

They keep hugging for a short time. While they may not be in the most comfortable position, Louis could once safely let himself be rocked gently.

“What more do you have to know, Officer?” Louis sighs when they depart from the hug. Louis moves away a bit due to the sudden closeness, but they're still barely touching. 

“I have to look at the scars and markings on your body, so I could see exactly how serious this is.” Harry speaks slowly, “I understand if this may be too much for you.”

“Next time.” Louis utters, “I-I promise. I don't think I can handle it all today. Could we do it next time?”

“Shh.” Harry assures him, “As long as you're trying, that's enough.”

“Next time.” Louis promises.

Harry ends up staying for a bit longer, talking to Louis (about things) but starts to leave when he feels like he has to go back to his duty. Louis apologizes for keeping him so long but Harry brushes him off, instead asking him if he wants to go outside. Louis gently refuses the offer, claiming that he needs a nap. Harry walks back to his office after that.

Harry sits down in his chair, the kind that would wheel and spin around when his phone vibrates on his desk. He accepts it when he sees it’s a call from his boss.

“Officer Styles, good afternoon.” Officer Butterfield’s bright voice comes through the phone.

“Good afternoon Sir! What’s the matter?” Harry greets him, leaning back to the chair to get himself comfortable.

“We were supposed to have a video call meeting but I have to apologize that I’m currently on the streets due to a case, so I could only make it over a phone call. Are you having any duties right now?” His boss rushes, the sound of traffic prominent in the background.

“I'm free now. And yes, we could have the meeting over the phone.” Harry replies.

“Great. Now back to business. I have glanced through the reports you handed in last week and all of them seems excellent, as always. But one caught my eyes. It's about that Submissive inmate who confessed that he was abused. Is this true?”

“Yes, it is. At least I believe so,” Harry confirms, “I personally talked to him.”

Officer Butterfield gives a thoughtful hum, “Well, I’d have to say this is not completely a surprise. While these cases are definitely heard of, they aren't frequent either. People using prisons as safety shelters from time to time. Handle this with care, Officer Styles.”

“Will do, Sir.”

“You’re quiet,” Officer Butterfield notices, “Something on your mind?”

“Oh - I just - ” Harry confesses, “It just saddens me that some people are going through such horrible things that they’d rather choose prison.”

“That’s quite true, but that's what’s happening nowadays.” His boss sighs, “I presume this case would be a piece of cake to you, Harry, right? You used to be a detective, if I remember correctly.”

“I was, Sir.” Harry agrees, “I would do all I could about this.”

“Good. Give me an action plan by March, yeah? Now I have to run, talk later.” He hangs up.

Harry locks his phone and drops it onto his desk, whirling himself around in the chair and brushes a hand through his curls. He has a feeling that this will be something more to him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Any comments very much appreciated, tell me what you'd like to see in the future, like, do you like how this is heading? Tell me if I need to improve in any way. 
> 
> Kudos and comments !! xoxo


	10. Solace (Part 2.6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  If you guys have any idea, the #internationalMCRday and #6yearsof1D both falls on the same day, July 23rd, so does the first larry moment. That isn't an excuse for my lateness but just thought I should let you know how much pain i felt on that day.

Louis reaches out for the fourth book on the top shelf in the second row, stretching on a small ladder while looking down at the sheet of paper in his hands, which displays a map of where the books are placed according to their labels. He’s trying to relocate a book that is placed wrongly, yet the top shelf’s too high for him to reach.

Louis stands up onto his tiptoes and attempts to snatch the book down, only to be met by a hand that is already spread over its spine. The hand picks out the book from where it is slotted in between two larger books and waves it in front of Louis. Louis whips around to find Officer Styles’ face right at his eye level, looking back at him with a cheeky smile on his lips, holding out the book. Louis jumps from the unexpected closeness, but since he’s on a ladder he could only surge forward again to clutch at the shelves, so he would not fall on his ass.

He clears his throats awkwardly as he has regained his balance himself, turning around to face his intruder, a palm splayed over his thumping heart, “Oh lordy, you scared me!”

“Sorry,” Harry apologizes with no apology in his voice, “Here you go, shorty.” He hands the book to Louis, eyes trailing down to the ladder Louis is stepping on, a bemused look in his eyes.

“I’m not short, I'm 5’9,” Louis protests fiercely and take the book from Harry’s hands, rolling his eyes, “Thanks for helping me though.”

Harry steps aside so Louis could get off the stand. Louis crouches down to put the book back into the second lowest row - where it should belong. He straightens himself when Harry says, “There’s no way you’re 5’9, the most you could do is 5’6. Thus therefore you're short.”

Louis opens his mouth to protest again, but this time, a familiar voice interrupts him from behind.

“I agree with him.”

Louis turns to see Josh flipping at a magazine in the table nearby.

“Shut up! I thought you were supposed to be on my side,” Louis pouts at him and whines.

Josh shrugs, “I must not tell lies.”

Louis groans, then narrows his eyes at the sight of his friend, “Aren’t you supposed to be at movie night?”

Josh throws him a glance over his magazine - which is oddly about pigs in New Zealand - “Well, aren't _you_?”

“Yeah, aren’t you?” Harry agrees beside Louis.

“Don't gang up on me,” Louis warns, then sighs, folding the piece of paper in his hands back into half, “They’ve been running a Harry Potter marathon for three whole weeks now.”

“You don't like Harry Potter?” Harry queries.

“I don't dislike the movie, per se, I just don't like the main character much.” Louis shrugs.

“Why not? A lot of people like him.” Harry counters.

“Well, the mainstream people then. Maybe it's only me, I just am never crazy over the kid. But that's a story for another time, Officer Styles,” He pauses abruptly, as if he’s just thought of something, peeking up at Harry with narrowed eyes, “Wait, don't tell me _you're_ named after him.”

Harry exclaims in horror, “No! Absolutely not!”

“Good. Scared me for a little while.” Louis teases.

Nowadays some officers, the more friendly ones, would start having mindless chit-chats with the prisoners so Louis doesn't bother asking Harry why is he suddenly being talked to. He had honestly thought prison would be a lot stricter than this but as usual, the reality never catches up with what your imagination. Then again, maybe it’s the case that the BDSM prison is meant to be more like a corrective school, than an actual prison for actual criminals.

“Are you done here? I want you to be in my office.” Harry then says.

Louis nods, “I'm good to go. Everyone's gone to the TV room so I don't think I'm needed here.”

Harry makes an affirmative sound and motions for Louis to follow him. Louis trails behind him to his room. On the way, Louis sees the red haired guy, who he thinks is named Gerard or something, and his clique bothering two Subs in the corners. They are keeping their voice down so none of the officers patrolling around notices, but Louis does only because he is an inmate so he knows what they're up to. Louis glances up at the warden, debating whether to tell him or not but bites his tongue at last minute, when they pass them.

They enter Harry's office. The Dominant goes over to the door and locks it, fumbling at the string beside the blinds to shut them as well.

“W-What are you doing, Sir?” Louis stops in his tracks as he watches Harry, alarmed.

“I thought you have something to show me, as you said, ‘next time’?” Harry turns to him, an expectant look in his eyes.

“O-Oh. Well when I said next time I mean _next time_ I'm ready, not next time I see you.”

“Alright.” Harry nods, “So you're not ready yet?”

“Y-Yes.” Louis stutters, “When I'm ready I'll tell you.”

“Okay,” Harry walks to his desk and tells Louis to sit down on the couch, “I'll respect that. We don't push you here, yeah?”

“Alright, thank you, Sir.” A pause, “Why do you want to see so badly, anyways?”

“Well, since I only got a glimpse last time, I need to look at it for real to decide how exactly serious your case is, so we can know how many years in prison your abuser gets.” Harry explains patiently.

“I thought we are not pressing charges to him?” Louis gasps, a look of slight betrayal evident in his eyes.

“We're not,” Harry reassures him, “But you may never know what the future holds.”

Louis bites his lips, then asks, “Why do you insist so much on this…” He trails off to find the right word. “Justice? Like, I know most prisoners want it, but I don't. Isn't that giving you less work to do?”

“Technically, it is. But for me, as a police officer, I think justice is very important to the world. It is in fact one of the main reasons I join the police. If there is no justice in this world, many would suffer. There will be no peace on Earth. No one has to pay for their wrongdoings. People would constantly hurt each other because they won’t be caught for what they did. People like your ex-Dom, he's one of those bastards that have to be taught a lesson or he’ll just go hurting even more people. And I can't stand the mere thought of it. Right now the justice in the world may not be enough, but it’s better to save one then to save none.” Harry finishes his speech, a look of determination slowly appearing on his face.

Louis stares at him in awe when the Dom speaks, he is in wonders because he can’t believe there’s still someone who is so passionate about getting things right while his whole life is everything wrong.

“That is profound, Officer.” He breathes out, “But I’m not sure if I'm ready for something this huge.”

“It takes courage, especially in your case from what I know of,” Harry replies, then pats Louis’ arms twice assuringly, “We’re get there someday. For now, feel free to come to me whenever you want to tell me anything. This office is missing your presence somehow.” He gives him a secretive smile.

Louis just nods, because he has nothing to answer with. He looks around the office, taking in the plain decoration on the walls. There are a few photo frames perched on the desk, but they're all facing the warden so Louis can't see what the pictures are. Harry doesn't say anything either. His eyes are on Louis but it looks like he's thinking.

Louis takes in a deep breath.

“H-he wouldn´t really h-hit my bum or upper thighs since those areas are less painful for me,” He confesses quietly, while staring down into his lap. Harry’s attention perks up, snapping his head to the inmate, “He keeps those part clean ‘cause those are the only parts Doms would care about if he actually decides to sell me.”

An alarm goes off in Harry’s head. “Hold on — _Sell you_?” He leans forward in alert.

“Yes?” Louis confirms, shrugging, “He has other Subs, although they come and go, unlike me I never get to go. He trains us, then sells us in auctions — ”

Harry cuts him off, “Why didn't you tell me!” He groans, his voice growing louder, “How many Subs are there?”

Louis shoots him a look, “I don't _know_. Loads. I guess. I live in his mansion but I'm locked away in a small room so I don't know. But I know they're there.”

“ _Auction_ , you said,” Harry repeats, “As in Subs like you are bid off with large amount of cash and sold to other Dominants?”

“Yes, that's what he told me at least.”

“That counts as submissive trafficking. Now that's whole another story.” Harry exclaims, “It's a crime!”

“Well I wouldn't know! I was barely 19 when I was taken in.” Louis huffs, falling back into the chair.

“Submissive trafficking is the most serious offence by the BDSM laws. Following is sexual abuse,” Harry tells him, “Your ex-Dom is in huge trouble.”

“Well now I've told you anyways, maybe if I knew I'd have mentioned it sooner.” Louis rolls his eyes and sniffs, “I-If you're gonna do anything with this new piece of information just know that I would not be the person to point him out. Besides, I won't be able to give any useful evidence anyways.”

Harry shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Does that mean there are still a lot of other Subs are held by that bastard of a Dominant? Still suffering like you did? ”

Louis smiles a bit when he hears Harry calls his Dom a ‘bastard’. “The biggest jerk, really. I guess your assumption is right. I acknowledge that too. Buts it's not like I could do anything about it. The basement we all stay at is a secret one, hidden away from plain sight. So people who don't know its existence don’t know how to go in.”

“Secret basement…” The warden mutters to himself, stroking his chin, “I see. How much more do you know?”

“That's about all I know, honest. It was pure hell in the mansion. The only thing I know is to run away from it.” Louis admits.

“You did, in a way. You succeeded.” Harry reminds him, watching as Louis’ mouth quirks up at the corners, “I know you don't like to think that place, so I won't ask you too much unless I really need to. For now I'll just follow this lead even though it's quite empty.”

Louis smiles at him genuinely, “Thank you for understanding officer.”

“He keeps a secret basement. Interesting. Very clever, but in a bad way,” The warden comments, his voice curious. “Maybe that’s how the police couldn't find any solid evidence because they're all hidden away in a place we wouldn't be able to think of.” He says to himself.

Suddenly something clicks in Harry’s brain. If one trick could be used by a submissive trafficker, the same could happen with another. Secret location is how they trick the detectives, _especially_ the traffickers who got away with only a few years in prison since there are not enough valid evidence. So far in the years, there is only one such case that the police is clueless about. The detectives are so sure that the Dominant is hoarding Submissives they illegally kidnapped somewhere else, but could never find the evidence to it except for a few written documents. That Dominant and his group is put into BDSM prison with only 12 years. But if valid sources could be found, that period could add up to a lifetime.

Harry presses a button on the telecom attached to his desk. He speaks into it, “Zayn, my office in ten please.”

Exact ten minutes later, there is a knock on his door. The door opens to reveal the vice warden. Harry gets up from his desk and walks briskly to Zayn’s side. He uses his index to motion the other Dominant forward.

“Could you bring me Frank Iero’s file, as well as help me ask around if we could get a pass to search his dungeon again?” Harry whispers into Zayn’s ears.

Zayn leans back, quirking up an eyebrow, “Something wrong with his case?”

“Just a thought. Not sure yet.” Harry shakes his head.

“I thought his mansion was thoroughly searched already?” Zayn asks, frowning slightly.

“Sometimes the most dangerous place is the safest place.” Harry replies simply, chuckling.

“Well well well, is detective Styles back in the act again?” Zayn jokes, deliberately trying to wink at Harry.

The warden rolls his eyes, “You know I'm reviewing his case under an order. Now where's the file I need?”

“Hmm, is that an order too?” Zayn mocks a thinking face.

“Yes! This is an order, Officer Malik.” Harry sighs, “There. Now go.”

“Fine. One inmate document coming right up. I'll ask boss about the pass as well.” Zayn nods at Harry, then Louis, exists the room closing the door behind him.

“You were a detective before?” Louis asks him when Harry sits backs down at his desk.

“It's rude to eavesdrop on people, y’know, especially on officers.” The warden smirks, instead of answering the question.

“That's the only thing I heard, Officer Malik said it loud.” Louis defends.

“Well being a former detective is a fact that I don't mind at all sharing. Those were the fun days, because I was good at my job,” Harry smiles to himself, “But I soon felt like being a guard is more of my thing. Educating people about the right track in the beginning is way better than arresting them when they go wrong.”

“So they let you transfer? No wonder. We’re always wondering how you could become a warden at such young age.” Louis lays his elbow on the edge of Harry’s desk and places his chin on it.

“That is seriously a topic of discussion among you inmates? Really?” Harry shakes his head in amusement, “That's incredibly interesting.”

“Really. Now I’ve got to tell them.” Louis replies enthusiastically, “Thanks a lot.”

Harry chuckles at him, tilting his head to the side. Louis bites his lips when he’s excited, so the warden notices. That’s rather cute, he thinks.

  
  
  


>>><

Harry parks his car in front of the huge mansion belonged to Frank Iero, which has been abandoned a few years and is now a property of the police force, until the Dominant or his Submissive is released. Harry has been here once, but that was a long time ago, back when he was still a fresh-faced detective. He has indeed been in the research team for Iero’s case.

Harry gets off the car, followed by Niall. He decided to bring Niall with him instead of Zayn, because the Vice Warden has to be at the prison when the he is not there. Harry walks up to the front gate of the mansion, seeing that his boss and a few other junior officers from the local district are already gathered in a small group, he recognizes some of them whom he worked with back then. Harry greets his colleagues, introducing Niall.

“Harry,” Aaron Butterfield greets back, “You're lucky the bosses like you enough to agree to this, so we could search this house in secret without any passes because those may take up to months. Do you really have evidence that we’re on the right track?”

Harry shrugs, “I don't have evidence, but I have a hunch. Let's hope our assumption is right.”

“That's our biggest lead right now then,” Aaron nods, “Shall we go in?”

“You guys have the floor plan of the mansion?” Niall asks the group.

One of the officers takes out a piece of paper and unfolds it, showing the basement floor on the house. She points to the areas where the walls are at, “We think the basement floor is the most plausible location for any hidden space, especially underground or inside the walls.”

“Great,” Harry hums, “So we could put our focus on the basement then. For safety purpose, are we completely sure that there is no one coming and going from this house?”

“Yeah, I mean, we don't exactly place heavy monitor on houses like this, but I don't think there will be anyone.”  Aaron explains.

“Then we'll just go straight in.” Harry sates, then motions the rest of the officers to follow.

They use the keys they got from the police station to open the lock on the front gate, then the main door. Once they enter the house, they could immediately tell that the owner of it has a lot of fortune, for the couches are made of leather, the carpets look expensive and there are even paintings on the walls, a medium-size chandelier sat in the middle of the ceiling. There are stairs leading up to second, and third floor of the mansion. However, all the furniture seem coated in dust and apparently, not having been used in a long time.

They group into a circle around the floor plan, shifting their gaze to the location of the stairs which leads to the basement. Officer Butterfield tells two of the junior officers to go up the house for a safety search, then the rest of them to come with him, Harry and Niall to the bottom parts of the house.

When they enter the basement floor, it is nearly identical to what Harry has vaguely remembered from his last visit here. It's basically empty, with a couch and a small tv in the middle of the living room, and two door on the back of the room.

“From what is printed here, that one seems to be an office,” A police officer points at the door on the right, then the one on the left, “And that one is for unknown uses. But evidence might have been cleared from them when we arrested the couple.”

“Right.” Harry approaches the door on the right. He pushes open it easily as the door is unlocked and looks inside. Someone turns the light on, it’s dim. It is indeed an office, with bookshelves lining up on the sides and an oak wooden desk in the middle. Aside from these, there are small decorations littered across the room.

“Search this room,” Harry commands, “If there’s any hidden space in this room, it could be revealed most probably by the objects around because those are the best for disguise.”

“Let's get to work guys, move every single thing you can get your hands on because we don't know where the trigger could be.” says Officer Butterfield.

“Or there may be no trigger at all. But if you never try you'll never know.” Harry points out.

“That's right too,” says Officer Butterfield.

They put their hands on everything possible. They moved every single book on the shelves, shook every shelves attached on the walls, turned every decoration on the desk and touched all the paintings on the wall. The room is a small one, so the search is easily completed with the help of multiple people. By the time they finish, every single objects in the room has been touched, yet to no surprising discovery. The officers are saturating to get slightly frustrated.

The two officers who were upstairs enter the office then, finished with their search. They look around the room, raising their eyebrows questioningly at the sight of no movement in the room.

“Nothing.” replies one of their colleagues, shrugging.

“Maybe we should start with the other room.” Niall suggests, frowning.

“But that room is practically empty to me.” A female officer says.

“That's why we should look at it even more carefully.” Harry says, pacing around the office.

“Well, we’ll look around outside, then.” The two officers go back out again. Harry, Niall, Officer Butterfield and the female officer enter the next room.

The room is, indeed, nearly empty. There is a single-sized bed pressed up next to one of the walls, a small closet beside the bed, the floor’s built with tiles, and that's it. Harry takes a small step to the closet.

“What could this room be for?” He wonders out loud.

“Guest room?” Officer Butterfield guesses.

“But who would put a guest room in their basement?” The female officer rhetorics.

“Maybe it’s an isolation room.” Niall points out, “I mean, there's nothing here.”

“Isolation room,” Harry repeats, “It is for Iero’s Submissive then. Would it really be what I said, that the most insecure location is the safest one? Who would really search an isolation room where you can see everything without a glance?”

“Fair point,” Officer Butterfield comments, reaching for the handle on the closet door, “Could it be the closet?” He sticks his head inside the closet and peers around, pushing at the wood at the back of it and moving the clothes.

When there's no particular response, he comes out of the closet. “Seems like he's not thinking of Narnia then.”

They all chuckle. Niall points toward the bed, “Check under the bed.”

Harry and the female office both crouch down in front of the bed and look beneath it. The lady produces a torch from her pocket, using the back of it to tap against the tiles on the ground, listening intently to the sounds they make.

The sound changes drastically when they reaches a tile around the middle of the bed: The sounds the tile makes are much more hollow to the ears, similar to when you're tapping against a drum, unlike the other tiles surrounding it, which make sounds that are solid. This is a clear indication that there is a hidden space under the middle tile.

The officer throws down her torch on the tile to mark the place, straightening herself and tells the others to help move the bed. They pulls away the bed, revealing a ground of identical, Ivory tiles. Harry and the lady officer kneels next to each other around the marked tile, removing the torch to examine the piece of tile. Officer Butterfield and Niall also crowds in to look at the tile.

“You see that the cement fillings around this tile is clearly different from the others. There must be something wrong with it.” The female officer says, pointing to the chipped fillings. She puts her fingers on the rim of the tile, trying to pull it out. She retrieves a pen from her pocket to help screwing out the tile.

After a while, the tile pops up, revealing the cement beneath.

“Look! Is that, if-if I'm not mistaken, a combination lock?” Niall explains, pointing to the square object nested in the centre of the hole that has 10 buttons with numbers printed on them.

“It's fortunate that my hunch is correct. There is indeed things hidden in this house.” Harry tears his gaze from the lock, looking up at his colleagues.

“Or we could say unfortunate, because we don't know the combination to the lock.” Officer Butterfield replies grimly.

“Do we, maybe, have any way that we could hack into the system of the lock and solve it mechanically?” Harry wonder out loud.

However, “Technically, we have a team for this.” The lady officer speaks up, “But since we don't know where is the vault this lock leads to, this way is practically useless.”

Harry drapes his arms over his parted legs and sighs in defeat. “Could we solve the combination ourselves?”

“But there are so many possibilities for a four-numbered code. How could we even guess it?” Officer Butterfield says.

“From what I observed in the prison, Iero never strikes me as a very bright person. So let's try for the obvious first, and we could go from there,” Harry turns to the blonde male, “Niall, could you read me Frank Iero’s birthday?”

Niall flips open the file case of the Dominant inmate that he has brought from the prison, reading out loud the man’s birth date. “October 31st.”

Harry punches the numbers “3110” into the lock. And there are no movements in the room.

“How about his Sub’a birth date? That is less predictable.” Niall suggests.

“Have you brought his file?” Harry asks.

“Of course, Sir.” Niall answers matter-of-factly, “The date is April 9th.

Harry punches in “0904”. Again, there is no movements about the room.

The female officer sighs, “I don't think it will go too far from here. I mean, this is their own house, this basement is hidden away enough already. How about their...anniversary?”

“But we don't have that kind of information do we, Harry?” Officer Butterfield asks the warden.

“No but…” Harry gasps, “I remember that Iero always asks to see his Sub around the certain days of the years, so maybe that's the date. In fact, he has just asked like two weeks ago.”

“Today is the 5th and if we count back two weeks, it shouldn't be too hard.” Officer Butterfield mutters to himself. “Let's try the 23rd first.”

Harry nods at the suggestion, reaching to punch in the code into the pad. However, they are suddenly disrupted by a voice outside.

“Holy hell! This wall is – is it _moving_?”

Sharing a confused look, they all move to the door to peek outside. Turns out what they heard is correct, the wall is _indeed_ moving. The two officers both take a shocked step back when a part of the wall, made of brick, suddenly begins detaching from the rest of it. It is the wall behind the small TV set. With a “pop” sound, a door-like bump raises in front of them out of nowhere.

Harry is the first one to react. He rushes out of the isolation room, walking up to the two officer, looking up at the wall with them. The others soon follow suit.

“The code is the Sub’s birthday. Claire, mark it down!” Officer Butterfield tells the female officer, whom they know now is Claire. Clare jots the code down onto her notebook, then jogs to the place where the wall stands.

“This is great disguise — hiding a door in a brick wall. I wonder jogs to the wall and places a hand on the raised bricks.

“Wonder if it works like a button,” She trails off, pushing slightly at the wall.

The door raises up further away from the wall, pushing itself towards the officers surrounding it until a crack appears between the wall and the door. Claire puts her fingers into the crack and attempts to pull the door open. A larger gap appears, which size could nearly fit a person. She lets her body slip into the space behind the door and motions for the others to follow.

Soon, they all walk into the door and what faces them is a narrow corridor. There are dim lights hanging above their heads which looks like are going to burn out anytime soon. The tunnel  looks like it is under-polished.

The corridor is long, and spiral. At one point, Officer Butterfield jokes that the design of this hidden location is even high-technological but soon the officers all feel like that they may not be walking inside the mansion anymore. This corridor may be an underground path which leads them to somewhere else.

“This might be the way that they evacuate any evidence when we raid the house back then,” Niall notes. They all nod to agree with him.

About 15 minutes later, the group finally ends up in front of a door, rather, a gate. It is Surprisingly, there is no lock on the gate so with a light push, it pops open, clinking against the concrete wall behind it.

“This is oddly anti-climaxing.” An officer scans wearily around the place - they’re still walking, “Don’t you think that this all is too easy?”

The group falls into silence, all holding an unreadable expression. “Maybe not,” Harry breaks the tension, pointing his thumb in the direction of the wall beside himself, “Did you hear some noises?”

They shuffle closer to the wall, pressing their bodies close to it so that they could hear the faint noise coming from the other side. Although it's just a small buzz, it’s certain that people are speaking. Or yelling, since the noise is mixed with some occasional bangs.

“Where could we find the place then?” Niall asks.

“Let's just keep walking.” Harry replies.

The noises get louder and louder as the officers make their way through the meandering tunnel. It takes them three corners to turn around until they could quite see the end of it. The noise turns the loudest when they reach a concrete wall, where a wooden double door blocks their way. Officer Butterfield places his palm on the doorknob.

He exhales, “I know these kind of doors. They are the ones that prevents you from opening from the inside.”

On cue, the door shakes beneath his hand, as if a heavy object has been thrown against it. In alarm, the group immediately close in around their boss. Gingerly, Officer Butterfield turns the knob. The door is not locked.

“Be careful.” Harry warns breathlessly. Officer Butterfield nods him a silent response, holding in his breath.

Officer Butterfield unlocks the door with a click. He kicks it open wide. They are instantly instantly greeted by countless pairs of frightened eyes.

There are more than 50 people slumped on the ground, tied together to form a long chain. Half of them are either bloodied, or have purpling bruises on their bare bodies. They are all sobbing, crying, clinging on each other, or whimpering out loud. Some are gagged, blind-folded, or worse, strapped onto the walls. There are trays of food laid out in front of each of them, yet they are mostly untouched. The majority of the group are females, though there is still a significant group of boys looking no older than 20, huddled together in the corner, trying to hide themselves behind each other.

Strangely though, none of them pay much attention to the group of uniformed officers at the door. Their dread-filled eyes only trails behind the man pacing around the room in the centre, swirling a metal flogger between his hands.

The next thing the officers notice is the booming voice of the man in the centre. He’s yelling at a group of girls on the floor, blatantly using all sorts of curses, threatens and insults. The gagged girls look beyond horrified, yet she kicks back at the man in the legs, but only to receive a harsh slap to the cheeks.

Harry flinches at the loud crack, wincing at the sound. If his guesses are correct, the people in the room are all Submissives, and would be a part of those who are illegally trafficked thus reported missing.

“W-We’ve got to call back up, we’re not professional in handling situations like this.” One of the junior officers says shakily.

Officer Butterfield instructs for him to make the phone call quickly. “And we may even need some ambulances.” Niall chimes in, peeking at the injured Subs.

“Should we make an entrance?” Clare whispers.

“No need,” Another officer gasps, “I think they have already noticed us. Watch out, they’re heading our way now.”

The man in the centre begins turning around to face the door, intrigued by the curious stares of the hostages towards the door. His eyes widen at the sight of the group of officers, immediately pulling out a metal object from his coat.

“Intruder alert! It’s the po po!” He shouts to the back, directing the gunpoint to the incomers.

The group reacts almost instantly. Harry whips out his own gun from his pocket, as do the others, pointing it to the man.

A gunshot is heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  DISCLAIMER : i love harry (potter) he's my lil bb pls do not hurt him he is not overrated
> 
> kay so please tell me in the comments if you think this chapter is a big nail it or an epic fail it :/
> 
> also gosh, I looove yoour comments. massive thanks for sticking with me :))))) I'll try to update more frequently for the sake of the fic's view. big thanks to y'all
> 
> ALSO, here's my snapchat (lourryalrightee) if you ~~want to watch me passive aggressively rant and take ugly selfies ~~~~~~


	11. Solace (Part 2.7)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  This fic is really a sappy fic, y'know. You won't be able to see it now but you'll see know what I mean soon omg. It rly sucks when you're the author so only you know the plots and could only freak out over the feels alone is2g

Harry walks into his office with a few of paperworks in his hands, carelessly depositing them on his desktop. For the past hour, his boss has been explaining to everyone of why they can't really do much about the case happened yesterday. Since the situation is much more serious than the police department has thought, it will soon be transferred back to the station for actual detectives to follow the lead the guards have picked up. The group was given their gratitude and told to go back their own duties, to leave their worries for the detectives. 

The gunshot was fired by one of the junior officers, targeting the man in the centre. No one was hurt. They were soon backed up by the action team so the man is taken down rather quickly. The hostages on the ground were all safe as well, and were all taken to the hospital for check-up and for those who were well, they are interviewed. Though most of them needs greater medical treatments. 

They found two other guys (a Dom and a Sub, respectively, but not a couple) upstairs who were with the man down in the basement, and they were taken away too.

So far Officer Butterfield has not heard much from the station, yet even if they do, there is not much to be done. But since Harry was a former detective, he left behind to help interrogate the Subs held hostage.

“Oh you two were back. We were  _ just _ looking for you.” Zayn looks up from the couch as Harry and Niall walks in. Louis, who is sat beside Zayn, gives a shy wave to the two officers, sipping from a glass of water.

“What are  _ you _ doing here then? In  _ my _ office, talking up to an inmate, huh? You got no duty?” Harry teases back, no scold in his voice.

“My patrol is done with.” Zayn announces, hooking an arm around Louis’ shoulders, “So I’m stealing your bonding time with your  _ favourite _ inmate here.”

Harry shoots Zayn a narrow-eyed glare, muttering about something under his breath. Zayn stands up, the smile fading from his face. He drops his voice, “So what did he say about the case?”

“He said there’s not much for us to do now, but at least we provided a very good lead to start with. All of the hostages are Submissives but there are nearly a hundred of them last night, so much more than what we thought.” Harry replies with a hint of surprise and disgust in his voice.

“I heard there were shots fired and I was so worried, y’know? I thought it was just a casual search, not gunfights.” Zayn says in a protesting tone, wrapping his arm protectively around Niall’s waist.

“Zayn, I’ve told you like, 20 times last night that I am absolutely fine. No one was hurt, not even the one we were supposed to arrest.” Niall huffs, exasperated, from his side. “I know how to fight too.” Zayn groans. Harry can’t help but chuckle at the couple.

Zayn opens his mouth as if he is attempting to object again. But then Harry beats him to it by saying, “Fortunately the bosses agreed that they should pay attention to the case, so let’s hope that all will be well for the Subs. Those poor ones.” He shakes his head in sympathy, “Though we got a chance to talk to them, the more mentally stable ones.”

“So what did you find?” Zayn asks, straight to the point as always.

“Not much, to be honest. Most of them still refuse to talk.” Niall answers for the question, shrugging, “At least we got a name out of them though. It’s Blue Jones.”

Harry adds in, “If the name we got is the correct one, then it’s highly possible that ― ”

A sudden gasp interrupts their quiet conversation, followed by a loud crack of glass breaking. All eyes sweep in one direction towards Louis, who has glass shattered all around  his feet on the ground, his hands shaking. Harry frowns, walking over to the couch on the other side of the room. He gets on his knee, carefully not to kneel over the now-broken glass.

“Lou. What happened?” The Dominant asks cautiously.

“T-t-the name you just said,” Louis wheezes on a stutter, his eyes incredibly wide, “B-Blue Jones. He is my master.”

All three officers’ jaws drop. Niall swears under his breath. Harry grabs Louis’ trembling hands in his without thinking. “What. What are you talking about? Blue Jones is — ” 

“Don’t say his name, please!” Louis begs.

“Sorry.” Harry hurries to apologize, frenetically pulling Louis’ other hand and places them on his thigh, “You sure he's the same person? What if it's another person who shares the same name?”

Louis shakes his head in distress, voice choked, “No. It must be him. No one else would have the same name. What did you say he did? Is he here for me? What — ” 

“Shh shh shh,” Harry calms him immediately, making Louis looks right into his eyes with his own desperate ones, “He’s not here. He’s not. We’ve never actually seen him. But the Subs we rescued last night have been telling us this name.”

“How on earth would there be a connection between Louis’ ex-Dom and the Subs though? I thought you were going after the other Dominant?” Zayn says, standing next to Louis, trying to sweep off the glass on the ground since that part of the office isn’t carpeted so the glass is shattered. 

“Earlier on we found that Iero and Blu – that man – shares a hidden account somewhere. We passed this piece of info to the station, right?” Niall provides helpfully.

“That's right. One time I confronted Iero with it, and he avoided answering. So there must be a connection between the two.” Harry confirms, seeing Louis is a bit less shaky and the floor is cleared, comes up to sit on the couch.

“Who would've thought...We’re about to catch two of the most serious offenders in BDSM laws.” Niall trails off.

“Louis. Would you happen to also know who Frank Iero is?” Harry asks, his face growing more serious.

“I don't know the name. But if I could see, like, a picture of him I may recognize him,” Louis says in a quiet voice.

“I could fetch a picture of him,” Harry nods, observing Louis’ features closely, “Now are you sure you won't be triggered by it? ‘Cause we don't know if he might be one of those people who have hurt you.”

Louis hesitates, “Not really. I'll be okay as long as it's not my master.”

“Your ex-master, remember. He doesn't have control over you anymore.” Harry reminds him, a bit sterner to cause the effect, turning around to take the binder of inmates records that Zayn has already retrieved in the short period of time.

“Wait,” Zayn puts a hold on Harry’s wrist, “Louis’ ex-Dom and Frank Iero won't happen to be the same person, will they?”

“Well that — that we could never know.” Harry gulps, blinking up at Zayn then looks back at Louis again.

“I don't know, just a thought.” Zayn shrugs, handing the file to Harry.

“L-Let me see it.” Louis whispers, holding out his palm for the file. 

Harry gingerly passes it over onto his open palms. Louis’ fingers hover above the cover before taking a deep breath, flipping it open. His eyes are immediately locked on the picture attached on the top right of the front page. He stares wide-eyed at it. 

By the way his body tenses, the three officers know that this person isn't exactly good news. 

“He's the driver.” Louis breathes out, falling back to the couch and shutting his eyes.

The officers wait patiently for him to keep talking.

“He’s the one who drive the truck to the mansion, to transport all the Subs over to my master. I remember I was tied up at the back of it with a few other Subs when I was first moved to the mansion and he’s the driver of the truck,” Louis explains softly, eyes flicking down to his lap a few times, “He’s harsh, and mean. But I’ve only seen him a few other times. I think he’s also the Dom at the Dominant Wing that time.” He adds.

“Is that why he approached you that night? No wonder.” Harry slowly nods, asking.

“Yeah. Think he recognizes me, he said ‘long time no see’,” Louis says, biting into his bottom lip. The three makes a thoughtful hum.

“Is he just a driver? Or perhaps something more? Do you have any idea about his relationship with your ex-Dominant?” Zayn sits down on the mini coffee table in front of them. Niall takes the armrest of the sofa.

“I don’t.” Louis answers quite frankly. “I have no idea. I don’t see many faces, being locked up in the mansion, let alone their names.”

“Frank Iero, which is the name of this man here,” Zayn provides, tapping the folder with a finger, “is in fact arrested for submissive trafficking, which matches with what you just said he did. But we could only find paperworks as evidence, we have no witness, no real proofs. A while ago we found out that he and your ex-Dom shares a secret bank account.” Louis looks up at him.

“The thing is, Louis, since you’re our first and only person who has a direct linkage to this case, we’ll give you a very brief idea of what has happened yesterday.” Harry begins as he recalls, “Last night there was a raid at Iero’s own mansion where we uncovered secret location that has more than fifty Subs locked up. After we’ve gotten them out we interviewed them, and those who are calm enough to talk only gave us this name, which belongs to your ex-Dom.”

“Do you have any idea of what this means?” Niall gestures after Harry finishes speaking.

Louis shakes his head silently, despite knowing fully well where the Submissive officer is leading to.

“It means that your ex-Dom and Iero are somehow linked with each other. Iero’s in it for Submissive trafficking and it's obvious that your ex-Dom is in it too, they may even be partners in crime. It’s a huge deal we’re talking about here, because we could only imagine how many Subs are kidnapped. We could be catching them now.” Niall says, panting slightly since he gets a little tempered at the thought the hundreds of Subs, his own peers, suffering.

“But what's there I could do for this?” 

“What’s there you could do with this? Well, you're our best chance at arresting those two shifty excuse of a Dominants.” Niall exclaims, “Though I know that you know close to nothing, you’re the closest to a witness we’ve got here. Think about all those Subs still suffering.”

Louis takes a deep breath, swallowing harshly. He weighs out the pros and cons in his head. Sure, he is sympathetic to all the Subs who are still suffering, Harry said there were at least 50 of them, but he knows fully well that the count must be way more than that, he also knows fully well that he’s the only one right now who could understand what the Subs are going through. However, signing up as a witness only means the officers are going to push him into deeper trauma. He is not ready to think back at the dark times, never will be, really. He has only managed to escape, he would not risk it by jumping right into the fire pit again. He’s saving himself.

“I'm sorry but…” He begins, feeling a pang of guilty as he sees the collective of slumped looks on the guards’ faces. “I don't think I can help.”

Harry shifts on the couch, “Look, we’re so sorry that this happened to you. Such tragic things that if I could personally change it so it never happens I would. Just ask me to I would. But so many Subs are being held by him right now. I think you know first hand how that felt. We’re officially asking for your witness account. You could save them.”

Louis’ heart melts a bit when he hears the warden saying that if he could he would changed everything around. But then he smiles sadly, “I would not like to think about the past anymore. And that’s final.”

“Maybe you'd like a bit more time to think this through?” Zayn, who has not said anything in persuading, finally speaks up.

“Sir, you guys have tried a lot of times and every time I've said no. I would not like to be your witness. So don't ask me again because the answer will be the same.” Louis replies, starting to get defensive.

“Why don't you give it a try first? Whenever you get uncomfortable, we can just stop.” Harry, who wants most to free the suffering Subs, suggests.

But Louis knows there's no turning back once he agreed to help, the officers would just keep on encouraging him and he knows that he'd eventually give in. This is the exact opposite of what he wants, to linger in the past, when he first chose to go to prison for a change. For a moment Louis’ mind manages to wander to thinking about his abuser, then a shudder goes through his body and a unsettling feeling creeps up his stomach. See? He can't do this even before they start.

“S-Sorry. I can’t do this.” He gasps, “Please may I be excused.” He throws the officer a last glance then makes for the door, nearly tripping as he does so.

“Louis!” Harry calls after him.

Louis pushes open the door and hurries out. Harry jumps up from his spot, about to chase out after the Sub, when a hand stops him by the wrist. He turns around to see that this Zayn. Zayn looks up at him and shakes his head slowly, mouthing a silent “no”. Harry heaves a sigh then slumps back down onto the couch.

  
  
  


Louis stirs from his half-conscious state to fast tapping on his cell door. 

For the whole night he somehow never manages to fall into dreamland, despite having gone to bed earlier than usual. He twists and turns around in the bed, reaching for the thin blanket to pull it over his head, covering up himself entirely. But the tapping starts again, and Louis definitely hears it clear this time. Louis sighs, throwing the covers off himself and walks to the front of his cell.

He peeks out of the small window into the corridor outside of his cell, but could only see darkness instead of any one. Furrowing his brows, Louis assumes his ears are just acting up so he turns around and heads for the bed again, before he hears a voice.

“Psst, psst,” The voice whispers. Louis’ eyes dart around through the small space. “Who’s there?” He whispers back, turning the handle of the door. But since cells are locked at night, it is to no avail.

Suddenly there's a juggling at the handle and soon, Louis hears a click. He hesitantly pushes open the door, astonished that it is now unlocked, sticking his head out. Officer Malik stands outside his door, using his index finger to motion Louis to come forward.

“Officer what are you doing here?” Louis asks, clearly surprised.

Zayn immediately presses a finger against his lips, signalling Louis to keep quiet. “Come with me and make it quick. You might want to bring a jacket.”

Louis is incredibly confused now, but still do as he's told. He grabs a hoodie off the chair then follows Zayn out. “Where are we going?” He asks the guard urgently.

“Shh, just follow me. You’ll see.” Zayn simply replies, leading the Sub out of the corridor. Louis soon realized that they are heading  _ out _ of the prison main building. He attempts to open his mouth for a few times but as soon as he does so Zayn quiets him down.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Louis asks once they are out of the building, heading to a part of the field that is further away than where the inmate would usually go.

“If we keep quiet,” Zayn mumbles, “Just trust me. Now come on.” He hurries Louis, walking faster. Louis jogs to catch up with him. A breeze of spring wind brisks through the air, Louis wraps the hoodie around himself, shivering.

They halt at a small chapel on the far end of the field, where Louis could hardly see anyone visiting in the day time. None of the inmates are particularly religious, especially the Dominants, so the chapel has naturally come down to being the storeroom. Zayn circles the chapel as he reaches behind of the red brick building, leaning down to fish out a ladder hidden between the grass. He stretches it out then balances it along the wall, holding a palm out.

“You first,” He says to Louis. Louis gives him a wild look of doubt but Zayn smiles assuringly. Louis looks up at the ladder leading up to the rooftop of the chapel, pulling the hoodie close to his body and begins to climb.

The officer is soon behind him. Louis reaches the end of the ladder so he hops down on the flat surface of the rooftop. The large space is enough of a person to sit across and not fall. So he sits down and bends his leg, his arms wrapped around his knees. Zayn sits down as well, beside him, and brings out two cans from nowhere, handing one to Louis. The Sub looks down to see that it is in fact, a can of coke.

He currently has a million questions swimming on his mind, but he decides against raising right now. Instead he opens the can and swallows a large gulp of the drink. He doesn’t particularly like coke, yet his lips haven’t touched the taste of such a heavenly drink in so long.

“Keep this between you and I,” Zayn muses, raising his own can, “Sneaking food in is technically not allowed. But prison has its own rules, so it's not really a big deal anyways.”

Louis looks ahead to the field before him, to the stars that are twinkling high in the sky, the moon dark and the void that is blinking back at him. A soft wind flutters. The night is quiet, dim light emitted from the chapel kisses the ground, pouring all over the grass. Sitting in solace, such deafening silence is a belle to the ears. The man faintly exhales.

“Why did you bring me here?” His syrup-liked voice asks, filled with curiosity.

Zayn tilts his chin forwards, “Look ahead. What do you see?”

Louis’ eyes follow Zayn’s direction. They're sat at a height of metres off the ground, therefore looking forward, Louis could only see a night sky full of diamonds, illuminating the ground below. “Um, stars?”

“And?” Zayn prompts.

Louis tries to look further. They are at the far end of the prison, the fences stretch out from a few steps beside them to the other side of the field, circling them in, a remote land. Next to the grass patch is the track, but a bit further up could already mark the beginning of the sky. “Uh, still stars?”

Zayn chuckles, crossing his legs. “Look beyond the field, out of the fence.”

He knows he is far away from civilization, since he's in a prison and all, yet he never thought he would have a chance to admire the midnight view peacefully like this again. All sounds that he could hear are the quaint hustles of tree leaves. The sky is crystal clear. Louis squints his eyes. There are some light from buildings outside the fence, few and distant from each other. “I see some houses, or buildings over there.”

“Right, those are what exists beyond this prison,” Zayn looks at Louis, pointing forward, “Those are the houses that are closer to us. We are quite remote here, but still, people live around, especially us guards. For example, I have to drive for half an hour to come to work everyday.”

“Look at the world outside, it's so lovely. Have you ever what would be life out of here?” Zayn asks nonchalantly.

Louis shakes his head, “Not really. A normal life is still a distant concept to me.” He laughs bitterly.

Zayn hums in thought. “If you ever get out. what would you do?”

“Probably sleep in a real bed if I can find one.” Louis replies without thinking, but he knows that that is nearly impossible.

But Zayn nods, “Yeah, and then?”

“Eat ice cream…,” Louis twists his mouth, thinking more deeply, “Well, I guess want to go back to uni, and maybe find a decent job later on.”

Zayn nods again, commenting nothing. He flicks his wrist. “Would you ever want to settle down, y’know, find a real Dom?”

Louis sighs, he truly doesn't know the answer to this question. This is a part of his future that he doesn't give himself time to think of. Eventually he shrugs, “Depends. If I’m ready, I may start looking.”

“When do you wanna get out then?”

Louis shifts in his position so that his legs are no longer propped up but crossed, copying Zayn’s sitting form, “The moment my ex-Dom is gone, is the time I might get out.”

Zayn picks up his can from the rooftop and empties it with a big gulp, setting it down and sending Louis a pointed look, “Well then, if you want to, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. For this is not real life, it’s not fantasy either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Just some casual zouis bonding *_*" #BromanceOnly
> 
> This fic is trash i'm so sorry


	12. Solace (Part 2.8)

Louis holds up his tray with one hand as he walks across the canteen, sitting down alongside Josh at a table, nodding his greetings to the two inmates who sit opposite of them. Josh waves a finger back at him. Louis picks up a plastic fork then stabs a piece of scrambled egg with it, bringing it up to his mouth.

Josh leans in sideways so that he could whisper into Louis’ ears subtly, “Heard what happened with you and your Dom. Is it true?”

Louis bites his lips and swallows, “What did you hear? And from whom?”

“From the Way brothers, the big one. Heard him spreading it with his clique. Now I know you could never trust these people but I just want to check in with you. He said you were beaten up by your Dom.” Josh speaks quietly so people around won't be able to eavesdrop on them.

“Well he’s not wrong.” Louis simply confirms, slurping his orange juice. They serve orange juice on Wednesdays.

“Oh. I'm so sorry that something like this happened to you,” Josh says, looking genuinely sympathetic.

Louis just shrugs, replying, “It's fine. Everyone came in with a sort of past.”

“But they're still joking around. Do you need me to shut them up?” Josh offers, dumping the wrap that was used to wrap a burger somewhere on the tray.

Louis shakes his head, causing the other Sub to give him a confused look. “No,” Louis explains, “If you go shut them up it’ll just be the same as confirming what they said. Let the rumours remain rumours."

“Okay,” Josh nods and agrees, “Then what do you plan on doing?”

“I don't know,” Louis sighs, pushing his food around in the plate, “It's not like I still got years spending in prison, so it won't matter a lot if I get out a few months early. The guards are talking to me about it, so I'm still thinking.” He looks around, lowering his voice, “My ex-Dom is holding many Submissive hostages. But I think they’ve got enough evidence to arrest him, only thing missing is a witness.”

“Let's not talk here,” Josh mutters, pointing at the left food on Louis’ plate, “Are you finishing that? Let's go somewhere else.”

“Nah, I'm done.” Louis shakes his head. He picks up his tray and stands up, dumping the remained pieces of food into the trash before returning the tray. Josh does the same, falling into steps beside Louis, walking out of the canteen.

Yet, none of them noticed the person who is sitting next to their table, listening in to their conversation.

“So,” Josh gestures broadly, “What do you want to do now?”

Louis ponders, “I've just been to the gym this morning so I was thinking maybe we can do something else. Didn't you just move into another cell? I wanna see it.”

The other man lets out a chuckle as they turn into yet another corner, “Yeah about that,” He rolls his eyes jokingly, “I only agreed to move in with another person because I would get a bigger bed in that double cell. Turns out my roommate doesn't suck too much. He's quiet but he lets me be.”

Josh leads Louis to a door which is identical to any other, but since it's built on the second floor so they know it rooms two inmates together. Josh pushes open the door, peeking inside, then waving behind his back for Louis to come in as well. “He’s not here,” He says with a smirk.

Josh points to a bed which Louis assumes belongs to him, then walks towards the bedside cupboard on the other side of the room. Louis sits down onto the bed, patting the mattress with his hands. “This bed really does seem bigger.” He observes.

“Yeah I know right,” Josh responds, as he bends down to take something out of the cupboard. Louis sighs loudly then dramatically lays down onto a side of the bed so that his legs are left dangling along the edge of it. “What are you doing?” He asks towards the ceiling.

He feels an object lands on the mattress beside him, he reaches for it blindly then picks it up. He cheers when he sees what it is. “Playing cards!” He exclaims, eyes following his friend who is going to sit down on the bed, “Where did you get these?”

“He hid them. He says I can take whatever as long as he doesn't need it at the moment, and don't get him into trouble for it” Josh shrugs, pointing towards his new roommate’s bed, “Now budge over. Let's play cards lying down.”

“Okay.” Louis agrees without a blink. He shifts his body to the left so that the other man could fit into the small space between him and the end of the mattress. The bed could obviously barely contain two person together by the size of it, but if no one turns, it'd be manageable not to fall.

“What’s your roommate’s name?” Louis asks, taking the cards out of the box and putting away the box. He shuffles the cards mid-air.

“Shantelle, I believe. Why?” Josh takes the cards Louis hands him. The remaining cards are placed on Louis’ stomach, so that they could take from that pile and put down cards on Josh’s side.

“Nothing.” Louis shrugs, as much as he can shrug lying down.

They're playing a game of Spades, since firstly, gambling is not allowed in prison and secondly, they don't have anything to gamble on. However, they are much better off using a decent pack of cards instead of the broken ones with multiple corners missing that are offered at the prison. Louis looks at the cards he holds in his hands, picking out one with the smallest number. He places it down on the growing pile after showing it to Josh.

“Y’know it's been years since I last lay down on a bed with someone else.” Josh says nonchalantly, staring at his own cards.   

Louis looks over to him. “You mean in the prison?”

“No,” Josh says with a shake of the head, “I mean even before prison.”

“Oh? How so?” Louis questions, as he puts down a set of Diamonds 3, 4, 5.

“I sleep with a lot of people but all of them just come and go, especially my Dom. Even if he is my Dom he never stayed, that's why I have to go find someone else to get rid of the hard feelings. He says I'm a slut which, sometimes I agree,” Josh pauses. Louis says nothing, feeling that Josh has more to add.

The other Sub continues, chuckling in a carefree way, “But hey, he sleeps with others too. So he's also just as much of a slut as me. He can't blame everything on me.” He puts down two Aces, beating Louis’ card choices, smirking smugly.

Louis looks to Josh. He has a true genuine smile on his face, eyes holding nothing but the fact that he has let things go. Louis smiles to himself as well. “Aww, there you go.”

As he is saying that, Louis puts down the last two cards held in his dainty hands. Josh raises his eyebrows at the two Spades 2’s that is placed down, sighing loudly at the one card left in his own hands. “Ahh, there I go.”

“Thinking of it I also haven't lied in the same bed with someone in a long time. Some say you could never miss something you’ve never had, but now I wish I had someone to cuddle me. Romantic cuddling,” Louis sighs dreamily, propping his legs up on the bed.

“As a kid I always fantasize about how would life be, y’know, grown up with my own Dom. Reality’s harsh, man.” Josh mocks Louis’ sigh, shaking his head.

Louis just hums in agreement. Josh asks him, “Have you ever thought about finding someone new after prison?”

Louis twists his mouth, staring at the ceiling, “Of course I wish I could find someone who would truly love me, but I also know that the chances are close to none. I mean, look at me,” The Sub gestures his torso, meaning his words both physically and metaphorically, “Sorta damaged goods now, ain’t I? When I get out all the good ones would already be taken.”

“I’d tell you not to think like that,” Josh begins, “But I’m not so much better than you, so I can’t really say.”

“What else has your roommate got?” Louis asks, changing the topic.

“ _Just_ cards, they're already hard to hide.” Josh replies with a flick of the wrist, “Wish he’s got some chess too though, those at prison always have a piece missing. Seriously though, why don't they get us some new ones? It's not like prison is low on budget. For example, there is a fucking couch in the warden’s office.”

Louis’ chuckle rings a bell in the room, “Don’t say that. His couch is comfy.”

  


 

It's mere two hours into the night, yet the young Submissive feels likes going to bed early, despite it still feels like evening to him. He’s in a sleeping mood, wanting to just crawl into the covers and sprawl out on his all fours, and just sleep well into the next day. He wants to hug the pillow, the nuzzle his face into the scratchy materials of the blanket, stretching until he moans out in relief. He mentally thanks the lords for letting him stay in a single room, so that he could be completely disturb-free and in sole peace in moments like this. Yet with his body hits the mattress, he knows what he has envisioned will not come true.

His train of thoughts rushes over him, words that are said to him from the past week flashing through his mind, replaying over each other. The blue-eyed lad lets out a heave of a sigh, turning onto his side, bringing his knuckles up to his mouth with his teeth softly grazing into the flesh, brows furrowed in thought. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. It’s one of those moments.

He should have made up his mind already.

  
  
  


Louis is the first one to bolt away from the breakfast table after returning the tray the next morning. He has one destination on his mind, and one destination only. As he walks, his small hands hover over his shirt button, the little plastic nubs that he is trying to pop open while rushing to the room he has in mind. He brushes past people in the hallway, mumbling apologies. He needs to do this quick.

He bursts into the room after barely knocking, completely startling Harry, who is inside the room, drinking a cup of coffee (or tea). Harry jumps up from the chair when he sees Louis barges in, whose presence has become a common thing but still not expected in such a sudden. The warden quickly sets down the mug in his hands to prevent it from spilling over, standing up from his desk.

Louis, on the other hand, just pants from the run to the Harry’s office. He glances at the clock on the wall, it's half an hour before breakfast time ends, that means he still has plenty of time before the officer would normally leave his office.

“Whoa whoa hold on, relax. What's the matter in such an early hour? Hey, why are your buttons nearly all open? Put them back on.” Harry walks over to Louis, standing in front of him.

“Didn't you say you wanna see how my scars are? Well, I'm here now. Do it quick.” Louis says in a frenzy, almost as a command. Harry stares at him oddly. Louis scrunches the end of his shirt.

“I – yes – I do, but – ” The Sub’s hands immediately fly to his collar again. “ _Jaysus_ , not so fast. Alright. At least close the blinds first.” Harry quickly shuts all the blinds at his windows. The room instantly gets dimmer. He paces back to where he was.

“Now what has gotten into you?” He demands, his height makes him towering over the small inmate.

“I thought long and hard,” His voice trembles. For a moment Harry thinks the Sub is going to burst into hysterics, but he didn't, “I-I know how it is, I’ve been through it all, so I just couldn't let those Subs suffer when I know I can help them in a way. I don't have the heart to. A-And I guess this is for my own future too, especially after what people has said to me, like Officer Malik.”

“Wait, he talked to you?” Harry eyes Louis with a bemused look. Louis nods to confirm.

“He never told me so…” Harry mumbles under his breath, “But, are you sure about this?”

“Well, you're the one who wanted to review my case, and now you still need second confirmation?” Louis rolls his eyes, stepping close to the Dominant, “Come do it quickly, before I change my mind.”

With a hard gulp, Harry reaches up to peel at the collar of Louis’ shirt, lips pressed into a tight line. Louis sucks in a breath inwardly, bracing himself for being exposed in the Warden’s office. His buttons are mostly undone, so Harry is just trying to ease the shirt off his shoulders before taking the clothing off completely. His eyes flick to the Submissive again, gauging at his reaction.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” Louis says softly. Harry’s movements come to a halty for a moment, before going back to work, now leaving a piece of the Sub’s collarbones out. A rush of cool air in the air-conditioned room hits on his skin, Louis shivers, but he doesn't know if it is because of the cold or of his nerves.

“I have to examine your body so that I could have a clear idea on the amount of physical damage on it. I also need you to tell me what objects he has used on you to create those scars, so that I could match it with the accounts of the rescued Submissives. I also need your account on every single thing you know about your past Dominant, even the little things. And I need you to be completely honest with us. I'm sure we need more evidence then only the witnesses’ accounts, but we will come to that later.” Harry explains thoroughly, walking to his desk to retrieve a small notebook from one of the drawers, then walking back to Louis. Louis has just finished undoing all the buttons.

“Where do you have scars?” Harry asks.

“Everywhere.”

“I'm gonna take this off now.” Harry warns. Louis nods shakily as the officer eases the shirt off his shoulders, revealing his marked up torso tattered with numerous scars. Long ones, short ones, deep ones, fresh-looking ones. By instinct, Louis’ arms go wrapping around his middle, body slightly hunched forward. He glances at the notebook in Harry’s hands, squinting his eyes.

“Is that really necessary? I mean, actually marking down how I look?” He says, amused.

Harry just shrugs matter-of-factly, “Well, I guess you wouldn't want me to take pictures instead, would you? Let’s start, shall we? I’ll point to some scars and you tell me briefly what they're made of, okay?”

“Okay,” Louis replies, “Though there may be some that I don't remember. Got too much scars.” He chuckles un-humorously.

Harry’s heart aches badly. To think that someone is abused to the point that there are too much to even be remembered. These assaults should be painful, yet there is too much pain that they've nearly gone numb to the victim. Harry takes in the scene before him, silently keeping in mind the extent of the damage.

He starts from some little white lines littering Louis’ chest, just a bit below his protruding collarbones. The scars are irregular, some longer, some shorter and spread out in different direction.

“These are ones that I hate most, they're not big but they're the only ones that are in my front. So I see them every time I look into a mirror and I hate it. I got them from a small blade,” Louis explains before Harry even asks, glancing down at his chest. They're out of his view, but the image of when he first got them will forever burn into his mind.

“Knives,” Harry grimaces, even though he already knew they were used on the Submissive. He writes it down in his notebook, marking down the location of the scars.

Next, Harry moves on from the darkish, long ones on the Sub’s arms. Louis holds them out for him to see it better.

“Where is this from?” He points at the deepest-looking one.

“He threw me on the ground. Crashed into the closet”

Harry nods, jotting it down. He then motions another one close to it. “This?”

“A belt, most likely. I was dodging the spankings.”

“Here?”

“A cane.”

“These ones on your wrists?” Harry frowns at the strange looking marks surrounding Louis’ wrists. Instead of big gashes, they look more like tiny scratches.

“Chain burns.”

“Chain burns?” Harry repeats, confused.

Louis shrugs, “Most often than not I'm chained to the wall by a metal chain. I would thrash around in them.”

They continue like that: Harry pointing to a scar, and Louis would explain how it got there, then Harry would write it down, then they move on to the next one. The scars on both of Louis’ arms are not much, so they quickly finished. When they're done with the front, Harry tells Louis to turn around so that he could see his back. Louis did, silently.

And Harry has to choke it a gasp when he sees the state of Louis’ back. The second time. Scars are _everywhere_ , scattered across the entire span of his back, from shoulder blades down to the bottom of his spine; the whole patch of tan skin is littered with countless lines, new scars covering old scars, old scars lying over faded ones. Some of them still looks fresh, estimatedly made within the year.

Harry’s harsh grip on his pen causes his knuckles go white, because of the flame of rage that surges up his throat. But the warden dares not make a sound yet, afraid that he'll lose it. His eyes travel across Louis’ curvy bottom, noticing how the end of his waist dip to lead to a plump, round bum.

In the silence, it seems like both the Dominant and the Submissive have held their breaths, each to a different reason.

“Can I...Can I touch?” Harry blurts out the question, surprising even himself.

“I - um - yes.” Louis never expects such a request, but he chews his lips and nods.

A large hand sprays over the small of his back, right between his shoulder blades. Harry uses the back of his fingers to softly caress at the raised, bumpy lines. His fingers trace across the scars, as if they are a touch of comfort over the initial pain. As his hand makes its way towards a few newer, angry pink marks that bite into the tan skin, a lump forms in his throat. He could only imagine how they must have hurt, how Louis’ heart must have shattered when the canes, paddles, belts hit his skin.

The even more heart-wrenching fact is, that most of the scars lies on dangerous no-hit zones, namely near the bottom of his spine, the centre of his back, extended to his hips. Those areas won't cause direct damage to his organs but there are many small bones that can be cracked, or nerve systems that can be fucked up. Although the wounds are all healed now and they apparently didn't cause any long-term damage, they still make the warden feel sick to the stomach.

Harry presses his thumb into the flesh, using the pad of it to rub along the scars. His jaws are clenched because of the nameless anger he feels in his chest, despite the almost gentlest touch onto the Submissive’s skin. With minimal thinking he could already guess most of these markings are made by either canes, or belts, those are the only ones that could create deep scars like this.

Harry’s hands move to another spot which he applies slight pressure into, which shockingly Louis gives a small flinch to. Harry immediately retrieves his fingers as if he has touched a burning flame. “Shit...I'm sorry. It hurts?” He gasps, alarmed.

Louis nods hesitantly, clearing his throat, “Just a little bit. Was it the biggest one?”

Harry looks down at the spot he was touching. “Yeah, it seems the newest one too.”

“Ah yeah, that's the one. It's the last one I got. H-He was holding a chain flogger which is like, the harshest he’s ever done. So after I managed to break free from his grip I hit him over the head with a metal bowl I hid in the closet until he passed out and then I just ran. I ran until I couldn't anymore and locked myself in one of the spare rooms. Surprisingly no one searched for me and that's when I heard I got him into the hospital and that he wanted me in jail for it.” Louis says almost in a single breath, panting slightly.

Harry blinks in surprise, “That was...the most you have told me in one go since I knew about the abuse.”

The Submissive shuts his eyes momentarily when the word “abuse” is mentioned. He shrugs, “Well I figured the least thing I could do to help us to start telling things.”

“Thank you for being this brave, then. I know it takes courage.” Harry tells him genuinely.

Louis twists around so he could look at the warden, “I agree to help on one condition though. That is I don't ever have to see my ex-Dom in person. I can tell you what happened, but don't make me meet him. I'm out if I have to do this.”

Harry nods frantically, promising, “Sure! Of course we won't force you to do anything if you don't want to. It is not an obligation for you to take part in our investigation.”

Louis suddenly chuckles, using the back of his palm to cover his giggle, “Ever so formal, aren't you Officer Styles?”

Harry laughs too then, sending a mock glare to the inmate, “No teasing allowed!”

“Aww, don't pout, Officer.” Louis rolls his eyes.

“Shut it.”

“Right, let’s move on shall we?” Harry says after a while of both of them staring at each other, saying nothing. Louis nods a silent yes. Harry gestures to his bottom.

“I know this is rather inappropriate but I need you to strip off your pants. Underwear, too, if you've got scars in areas that is covered by them.” He instructs, awkwardly.

Louis blushes hard at the statement, mostly from embarrassment which, well, he shouldn't be since it's not like he hasn't been through the stage when he had to be stark naked 24/7. Really, he should've gotten used to it now. “Uh well,” He starts, beginning to strip to his boxers (the only kind of underwear the prison offers, instead of panties like he’s always preferred), “I don't have any noticeable scars on my bum or inner thighs, like I told you last time that he’d like to keep them spotless so that I could be sold at a better price. The other parts of my body though, is worthless to him. However I think I may also got some scars on my hip or something.”

Harry hums in acknowledgement, as much as his heart (or dick) secretly wants to have a glance at Louis’ plump bum while it's bare (it's not like he's never noticed how nice it looks), he is not a selfish jerk and he would never violate someone else for his own pleasure like that. “Not much people know it, or care for that matter, that the hip area of a person is actually one of the most dangerous zones to be hit. Not only are the skin easily split, there are in fact a lot of nerves spot there so it could cause huge damage if you've been careless.”

“My ex-Dom must be the latter kind of people,” Louis announces conclusively, “We were just like toys that he chucks away after he gets bored with us. I'm just the unlucky one that he never gets over.”

Harry thumbs his way through another set of scars surrounding Louis legs and thighs, heart clenching because of every single one of them no matter how small they are, and especially one that spans across the back of his knee. The officer straightens himself, scribbling more details into his notebook. Louis gets his pants back on and Harry holds out his button-up shirt for him to step in.

Louis was going to thank him for the help then do the buttons himself, but Harry has already pulled him into a hug so he can't do anything, only to let his arms fall beside him awkwardly.

“Smile more, cry less.” Harry whispers into his ears, so softly that Louis almost misses it.

Louis doesn’t know what to reply, so he just stammers out a “Yeah”, blushing. Harry’s large hands come clapping down on his back, three times. Louis suddenly feels brave enough to wrap his hands loosely around the warden’s back as well, causing his body to shift closer. Harry just holds him tighter, so Louis breathes out slowly, feeling strangely relaxed around a Dominant.

As for Harry, he doesn’t know why he always has this urge around the tinier Submissive. There is this constant flutter and dull ache in his heart that makes him really want to protect Louis, to rid him of all his past scars and to be the reason for his smile. Surely, he has met abused Subs before, but no one has made him felt such protectiveness over them, no one has ever made him want to hold in his arms until they are calm, no one but this vulnerable yet strong Submissive. However, Harry could only pass it off as his Dominant nature doing its trick, and says nothing.

“What do I have to do next?” Louis asks in a small voice.

“For the time being, nothing. Thank you for the help today by the way, you did a good job. I’ll soon need information on how he acts, his business, his other Subs and et cetra, and you could tell me then.” Harry replies simply, petting slightly at the lad’s fluffy hair before letting him go.

Only when they depart does Harry suddenly comes to the realization that Louis’ body fits into his almost seamlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Aaaaaand, let the real fun begin ;)
> 
> Do you like this chapter? Tell me if you didn't
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated :)) I'm still working on posting onto tumblr


	13. Solace (Part 2.9)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Thank you for all your lovely comments and suggestions !! Here's a new chapter xo
> 
> Also thank you for all the support from new readers !! I love you all.
> 
> Oh and add my snapchat, come say hi: lourryalrightee

Things got a lot less awkward between Harry and Louis after the hug.

Whenever they pass each others in the hall, they'll greet each other. Sometimes Harry would even stay to talk to Louis for a bit, asking his about his day, how is he doing, random things, et cetera. They don't go to any corners to talk as well, they just stay at where they bump into each other and talk in the corridor where everyone could see. They go back to as if nothing has ever happened: casual little chats, but both looks at each other now with some more mutual understanding. And it all feels special to Louis.

For a few days Harry hasn't asked him anything about helping with the case, unlike what Louis has expected, as if the warden fears that things are going too fast. Life is almost peaceful, everything going back to being seemingly smooth. Louis has been here for a little over five months, things has settled down and he feels close to happy in this safe heaven. By the time he could get out, according to Harry’s plan, it would be at least around half way into his prison sentence. Getting out a few months early or not, in fact, means all the same to Louis. But he has promised to help if it means helping others as well, he would never be the person to pull out in the middle.

Louis is pacing around the warden office at the time being, he isn't supposed to, but he has a feeling that the officer wouldn't mind a lot. He was requested at the office so he gladly went, happy to get away from the noisy inmates for a while, yet when he reaches the room the Dominant isn't there yet. So Louis takes a chance to look around. He is basically familiar with this surrounding, but he wants to go into details when no one else is looking.

He starts at the walls, noticing how they are painted a pale yellow which is soothing to the eyes, there isn't any decorations on the walls besides a minimalistic clock. What catches the eyes are the row of small, adorable succulent plants lining up on the tight space of the windowsill, bathing in the sunlight seeping through the blinds.

Louis looks through the window to the corridor outside the room. There is still no signs of the warden, so he moves on to the next part that he is interested in, the desk. The desk space is almost tidy, with a computer perched on one side followed by a desktop telephone and only some miscellaneous documents and stationery lying around. Louis pays no attention to the papers, instead his eyes linger on a picture frame on the other side, facing inwards. Louis creeps behind the desk, facing the picture. He always see it propped up on Harry’s desk but he couldn’t see what is inside the picture, he half expects family, or even a lover.

In the picture, a younger looking Harry with shorter hair is standing in the middle along with a shorter girl who looks very similar to him standing beside. They are huddled together with an older women to the left of the picture, smiling brightly at the camera, and then there is another man resting his arms around the woman’s shoulders. Louis assumes this must be the family. He never knew Harry has a sister, but then again, it is not his business. Next, he notices a small square of picture clipped to a photo stand. He has always thought it was a memo, but it is not, it is a photo of Harry and Niall. They are carrying guns and crossing the two jet black guns together so they form an “X” in front of their bodies.

“I see that you're quite interested in my personal belongings.” A voice suddenly says from the doorway, in his mid-observation disturbing the lad behind the desk from his little trance. Louis whips around as if he is caught doing something bad, which indeed, he is kind of snooping around. He jumps out from the small space.

He was going to say something along the lines of an apology, but Harry beats it to him by breaking into a chuckle, “Relax, I'm just teasing. I put my stuff out there, didn't I? They’re meant to be seen. Now I’m sorry for being late while I am the one who requested you. I had to get a few things.”

In the short period of time, the warden has already marched to his desk, given the advantage of his long legs. He gestures Louis to sit in front of him, placing down what is in his hand onto the pile of documents on the table. He situates himself into his own roller chair.

“So now you're here, let's start properly.” Harry begins, arranging a few things on the desktop. “I figure today would be a good day to start on looking into details of your case, so as to get the progress going quicker. What’d you say? Maybe you could start from the beginning?”

“Uh…” Louis blinks at him blankly.

“Well, you can talk about anything you like, whenever you're ready. I'm not interrogating you like the way an officer does, just hoping you could share something more solid. So you could say whatever.” Harry leans both of his forearms on the table, shifting significantly closer, his eyes going softer so that Louis could well see the emerald glint in them, “How's this? Let's see this as you talking about yourself, and if you'd like to hear i could also share something about myself. That’s only fair, isn't it?”

“Huh? Oh, um, okay I’ll start,” He doesn’t know where, so he just starts from the beginning. He looks down at his fingers, causing a small piece of his fringe that has managed to grow long within the months to slip in front of his eyes. He flicks it away with a shake of the head. “At first it...It wasn’t like that, it started off as just a normal, typical romance. He lured me into him, using sweet words and those cliché romantic moves, buying me flowers, bringing me to high-end clubs, the lots. And being a naive 19 year-old, I believed him at first. It happened really fast, I fell head over heels for him in such a short period of time. Then I started going to his house more, ‘cause I’ve just finished my A-levels there’s nothing you can do other than waiting for the results, so I spent all my time with him. Besides being together, I didn’t know any of his friends, he told me he works in trades. To me, he just seems like the really decent, older boyfriend. It’s a whirlwind.

Then the sex just gets rougher, everything got rougher. We were pretty stable after only a few months, so I didn't notice at first. It went downhill little by little, soon I get no kisses or cuddles unless I let him _fuck_ me with his hands around my throat choking me. Later on, when I knew what was the problem it was too late. I have nowhere to go, he won't let me anywhere or he’ll hit me. It happened so fast, but I think this is how he did with all of his Subs. Trick them into being with him, then after he has full control of their minds he reveals who he truly is.”

Out of all things, Harry didn’t expected this. He half expected maybe Louis was taken in  some unfortunate accidents, or tricked into a deal or a threat, or something. Not this. A new found hatred flares in his chest, and now he just despises this Blue Jones person some more. Not only had he, obviously, broke many laws and brought harm to many poor, innocent Subs, but he also completely destroyed their heart and ruined their trust. Harry could see it in Louis. The uncertainty, how he is tentative around people, how he still tries not to flinch when a friend is near.

“Hold on, do you mind if I write these down?” He gently interrupts, pointing down at his notebook.

“Sure, go ahead. You could even record it if you want.” Louis chirps.

“I can?” Harry’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, “That’ll be even more convenient.”

“Yeah right,” The Sub says, chuckling dryly, “I think I wouldn’t want to repeat myself so you’d better get that all down.”

Harry takes out a small device which Louis assumes is a recorder. He presses a button on it then gestures for Louis to continue, so Louis does with a small sigh, “I thought I could change him, or if I can't i'll just leave him for good. Just about when I was planning to break it with him, one day, it just kinda happened. He said he had a surprise for me and told me to get into a truck, at first I refused and said I have something to tell him, which is the break up, but before I could say anything he pushes me into the truck, really roughly. The truck was big but there were only me, him, and the truck driver. You know who the truck driver is, I told you so. I'm surprised that he still remembers me, to be honest.”

“You don't know about this person a lot, do you?” Harry asks, recalling that Louis doesn't even know his name.

“No, I don’t.” Louis shakes his head to confirm, “I’ve seen him at most only a few times for the whole time I’ve been at the mansion. I don’t have that much interaction with other people, so I remember him clearly. He never touched me though. I didn’t know he is in prison too.”

“We have a linking that he is in fact crime partners with your ex-Dominant, not just his truck driver. He and his Sub are arrested for the same thing though they are not scapegoats, they also have a lot of involvement in the case but they made it seems like they’re the entire ones to be blamed.” Harry provides.

“If they are so close then you could find my ex-Dom and all his Subs even more easily. I presume they’re still at the mansion, but I don’t know the address or where it is, so I can’t be very useful on that part.”

“Don’t worry, that shouldn’t be too hard. Well, let’s leave it to the real detectives. Though if we could find the place sooner, we could collect solid evidence sooner. So, tell me more about the mansion?” Harry sits back in his chair, tracing his index finger along the rim of his bottom lip, listening intently.

“After we got off the truck, we were at this big house in the middle of nowhere,” Louis recalls, picking up at where he left off, “They held me on both sides and nearly threw me into the mansion. I said _no_ and tried to protest but they said they would knock me out if I made a sound. But long story short, after I got into the mansion I was pushed into a room on the second floor - if I remembered correctly, there were a total of four floors in the place - then I was locked up there most of the remaining time. The house is not empty, quite the opposite actually, you could see people scattered everywhere doing their own things. It is almost like a sex club, but us Subs stay there. All I know is that he sometimes rents them out for other Doms, he would try to train them to be the perfect Submissive but in fact ending up using them to his own pleasure and abuse, because that’s what he did to me. He turned into a completely different person so by the time I was locked up, I see him as this monster whom I’ve never known of. Everything that happened before seems like merely a dream to me.”

Harry is sitting there with his brows knit tight together, horror in his eyes but mainly, sadness, as if he could feel how Lois felt by listening to him talk about it like it’s in a long past. But no, Louis is not sad anymore, he is just tired. _I haven’t even got to the real part_ , he thinks to himself.

“Is there any other people whom you know there, and also their names and such?” Harry asks, keeping his tone soft and relaxed.

Louis tries piecing the faces back together he saw at the mansion, but all he remembers is a blurry mess. He's like a swallow locked up in a birdcage, the people outside teasing him as a toy and he only watching out, helpless because he's in his own world. “I don't remember much, there is a few familiar faces, but I certainly do not know their names except for my ex-Dom’s. At first, during meal time, he’ll let me out to eat with the rest of the Subs. That's where I knew Liam, he's a cook there, so he serves us food. I only knew his name after being in prison and seeing him here. I don't know any of the Subs, we don't dare speak to each other and the mansion is not a place for you to make friends. Besides, new Subs seem to be added every so often. Oh, there's another one. That Sub who was here some time ago and started that fight with me. I don't know who he is, tho he's one of the Subs. But strangely, he left the mansion on his own on the first day I was there. And my ex-Don just let him go. Like that. I don't know what happened but that Sub seems to know what's up with me. Other then these two people, there were only my ex-Dom and the truck driver whom I’ve actually only met once.”

“Uh-huh, thank you. Next I want you to look at some pictures here...” Harry picks up the big envelope on the desk which he has come in with, untying the strings that fasten the pocket to pull a few pictures out, laying them out in front of Louis, “See if you recognize any of the places here. I think you probably don't but let's see.”

Louis picks up the frames as he examines the scene taken in the photo, catching his lips between his teeth cutely in concentration. The place displayed is the living room of a large house, the interior huge and bright, he could vaguely see two more floors upstairs. He puts down the pictures slowly, shaking his head, “Nah, I’ve never been here before.”

“Figured.” Harry hums, “Then from your assumption, do you think this is bigger or smaller than the mansion you previously lived in? This house was owned by Frank Iero, the truck driver to you, where he kept more than 50 Subs.”

Louis tilts his head slightly in thought, “Well, my ex-Don definitely kept a lot more than that. I think the mansion is also larger.”

“I wonder what he is doing to all of them right now, defiantly something horrible.” Harry comments quietly, shuffling the photographs back into the envelope, pushing it to the side.

“Yeah, probably.” Louis agrees, watching Harry’s hands as the Dom works them, eyes trained on the number of rings lacing up his fingers. He is quiet for a while, staring down into his lap and playing with his own fingers. Harry could almost hear the reels working in his brain, the way he chews his bottom lip unconsciously when he’s over-thinking. Harry lets him be silent because he knows there’s something he wants to say, and that is important.  

Eventually Louis mumbles in a soft whisper, “Y’know, sometimes when he is in a good mood, he won't bother me that much, probably twice a day and they’re always morning or close to midnight. It's totally coincidence that the room for keeping me in used to be a study. There are books all around. So when I’m left alone, I read the books in there. They did a great deal in relaxing me, like a comfort bubble that can wrap me up so I don’t think of any silly thoughts. They keep me going and believing that everything is temporary, that I don’t have to be stuck there forever and lose hope. Those are the good days. At least I tried.

When he’s in a bad mood though,” His hand trembles as he moves his hair out of his face, “he’d have me chained up against the wall. There are special handles installed on the wall so he could tie me to it with chains or handcuffs, and I would always be in the nude when I have to be in that position, spreaded out and pressed into the wall. ‘Cause most of the time he would just barge in and take me there right away, that's why I got all the chain burns. It's the worst when he is in a bad mood, which is basically always. My room is not sound proofed, so I could always hear the yells and cries outside. When he's coming in, I could always hear the loud footsteps as he makes his way up. The anticipation is the worst torture. But he likes it best when he sees me scared.”

He pauses to take in a big breath, as if to make himself relax, sighing softly. When he looks up, Harry is horrified to say moist has gathered in his eyes again. Harry feels bad, like his stomach is churning on its own, an unsettling clench in his heart urging him to comfort, to fix things, to make better. His instinct is to make this delicate Sub in front of him smile with hope in his eyes, for the world has been so cruel to him. But just, _not yet_ , his own intentions can wait.

“When he did things to me, he never gave me any preps. He’d thrust right in and use me like - like I’m a toy, I almost forgot what is it like when being fucked doesn’t involve pain. His hands were all over me, his breath was all over me, it felt like I couldn’t breathe and a few times I even passed out right in the middle of it. And he just didn’t care at all. If he felt satisfied with me he sometimes would let me have a bath afterwards, but most of the times he’d just order someone to spray me over with water. The water stings on my skin, I felt so, so, _so_ dirty. I could never be clean a-anymore.” Louis’ voice wavers, and Harry’s stomach takes a flip, ready to strike immediately in an effort of comforting. Louis sniffs, sighing, “I’m s-sorry. Can we stop here? Today? I promise to say more later but today I just can’t - ”

“Of course! ‘Course, you did more than good, Lou…” The nickname slips out of his tongue, as he reaches over to touch Louis’ smaller hands in empathy, his slightly calloused big thing encircling Louis’ knuckles in a comforting gesture. His face softens, “I know sexual abuse is really, really tough and I’m glad that you could be open up with it so soon. I’d expect it’ll take longer for you.”

“Okay…” They lock eyes, for a long while even, the glimmer of sincerity in the warden’s eyes never fading. Louis blinks, until he begins to shy under the gaze and pulls away his hand diffidently, replacing it by laying his elbow on the edge of the table. A small chuckle slips out,   ly breaking the atmosphere like a     .

“Tell me something about you? You said you would, to take my mind off this.” Louis softly says.

“Yeah!” Harry immediately nods his head, remembering his promise, “So...Wanna hear about the story behind this first?” He turns the memo stand around, revealing the picture of him and Niall that Louis has just observed.

Harry sets off into the story once Louis smiles for him to continue. “Starting from really early I knew I want to be a police of some sort, so right after graduating high school, I went to training school. I was one of the youngest there and that's when I met Niall, who is just a bit older than me. We hit it right off and became best friends shortly, we were so close at that time that, since we’re both gay, people always assume we’re together. But of course not, I never even thought of that! Untoasted white bread isn't exactly my type,” He rolls his eyes jokingly, “The picture was taken on our last day of training. Later on, I got assigned to an investigating team and him to be a prison guard here. I was lucky and went up surprisingly quickly by solving some big cases, they offered a much higher position for me but I used that to change departments, since I figured out that I'd like a nurturing job then an arresting job. So here I am.

And long story short, after Niall is assigned he met Zayn here, they fell in love and got married before I even get here. From then on I fell into this vicious cycle of them teaming up to nag me about getting a partner and trying to make me envy them.”

“Do you, though?” Louis asks.

“Not really,” Harry admits truthfully, “I'm not that desperate. And I want to wait till I find my one, the one that is right for me. I believe they will come eventually.”

“Maybe it will come when you least expect it.” Louis says.

“Maybe,” Harry gives a thoughtful hum. “Well, let's move on to something else. You’ve seen my family here.” He flips around the picture frame, pointing to the girl besides him, “This is my older sister. She is working but recently she’s gone back to uni to study fashion. The other you could guess is my mom and step dad. My real dad left when I was very young so it's just been my mom and occasionally my sister raising me. Some people say they raised me soft but I think I’m good the way I am.”

“Well I think you already makes a really great Dominant.” Louis says, blushing.

“Really?” Harry brightens up at that, “That means a lot! Thank you.”

Then Harry proceeds to tell him little, casual tales from when he was younger. A lot that Louis have never imagined would happen on this seemingly tough Dom/Warden sitting in front of him, but that just complete Harry’s as the person he is now on a wholistic level. He told him about how he had wanted to become a singer when he was a teen, before he decides to be an officer instead. He told him how his hair wasn't curly and long as they are now up until he was 14, and Louis finds it totally impossible to imagine a short, straight haired Officer Styles. He also told him how he would lust after his sister’s make-up products ever since puberty, and would still occasionally wear black nail polish. And last he told him…

“What?” Louis splutters, bursting into giggles, “You were really chased by a goat when you were 10? You! Really?”

“It is true! But don't you dare spread it. I've been laughed at for this for almost 10 years before my family finally gets over it.” Harry whines, his voice exaggeratedly painful.

“What have you done to the goat?” Louis narrows his eyes doubtfully.

“I don't _know_! All I know is that in the end I face-planted the ground and became the subject of joke from then on.” Harry heaves a big sigh. Louis covers his mouth with his sweater paws and laughed some more.

“That's really ridiculous,” He wheezes between giggles, “I don't know why I’m laughing but this is so funny.”

Harry just looks at him, shaking his head in amusement.


	14. Solace (Part 2.10 - Halloween Special)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Like the title suggests, a Halloween Special. Um, there's not much, i'm trying to do something here for the Halloween vibe (miserably failing) so yeah, it's for MY FAVE SEASON and yes, the chapter is _in line with the whole story plot_ so...here goes nothing.
> 
> P.S. bad halloween pick up line : (used when you're in a paper costume)   
> Are you the scissors to my paper?? Coz I'd like to scissor you open. ;)

Louis stands on his tiptoes atop the short ladder, one hand pushing at the wall to balance himself, another hand reaching up to hang a paper cut-out pumpkin lantern on the ceiling. His tongue pokes out of his mouth in concentration, brows slightly furrowed as he tries out different positions for the decoration to fit right.

“To the right, Lou!” Someone in the crowd below calls. Louis moves the paper pumpkin to his right.

“Hold on - No, no, to the left.” The same person corrects. Louis huffs and stretches to the left, placing the decoration where it was before.

“That doesn't feel so right.” That person sighs. Louis sighs too, stepping down from the ladder. “Ugh,” He throws up his hands, “Then where do you want it?”

He steps away from the wall and looks up himself. Squinting his eyes, he holds up the paper in front of himself to locate the centre of the wall. He climbs up the ladder for the second time, hanging the cut-off on the right place this time. After it's done, he gets down and dust his hands on his pants, going back to where he was working on before he was asked to hang up decorations.

It’s 31st October, as known as Halloween, the one season where all saints rise from the underground, parade over the world disguised in artificial human costumes, celebrating the joy of temporary resurrection. The one season where children would dress up as the dead, passing across houses and gardens, demanding the treats of adults but unsuspected of the doom behind them.

That is, of course not allowed in the prison. But the prison does allow the prisoners to hang up play-pretend decorations on the wall for the small get together on the same night. By that time, inmates would exchange horror tales and watch Halloween movies and play little games and are allowed to stay past midnight: all for the supposed hype of Halloween. Anyways, it is always more fun to stay up on Halloween than on New Year’s Eve, so you could pretend to be scared while you're actually scared, all for the vibe.

“Quiet down, boys. And don't fall from anywhere!” An officer, standing guard in the corner watching the scene with bored eyes, raises his voice over the loud chatters when it is especially noisy. Music is played out from a speaker. Some inmates put on scary, disastrous music by some kind of death metal bands as a joke at first, until someone else changed it to The Nightmare Before Christmas theme. 

The people are around, watching.

 

\----

Harry walks along the corridors of the Dominant Wing, monitoring as the Doms decorate their common room. You would've thought Doms wouldn't pay much attention to these fake, overrated seasons celebration, but ironically they're the most enthusiastic out of all inmates, probably because they rarely have such chances for action in the mundane prison lives – most of them have to stay here for up to years.

The Doms are hustling around, the majority of them putting up bunting and and hanging plastic pumpkins everywhere, pouring candies on the benches and passing around snacks. The others busy themselves into mainly fooling around with each other, lazing on the bean bags and ordering the rest around like usual. Some troublemakers, take it upon themselves to attempt to scare the unamused guards by jumping out behind doors.

“Oi Styles!” An inmate half-shouts from the far corner, waving cheerily at the warden. Harry scans the crowd for the person who is calling for him. It's Damon. Damon never bothered to address Harry properly, no matter the many of times Harry has insisted, so now Harry just let him be if it's not too disrespectful. He could see how it is. Damon is one of those Doms who never admit defeat, and use a grin to make everything slide for himself. 

“Be careful and don't get too hyper, ‘mates.” He reminds, crossing between the stream of Doms.

“Or what?” One of them retorts, smirking, “The ghosts are gon’ come eat us?”

Harry rolls his eyes, saying nothing, because he doesn't need to even reply. Those Doms only want to rile you up, to keep testing where you bottom line is, and make fun from it. And the best way to deal is to ignore them. Harry sighs, his mind wandering back to the Submissive Wing. He is mainly in charge of the Doms, yes, but lately, he has only been thinking of the Subs.

He decides to take the shortcut back to the Submissive Wing. It is a direct, small path that link up either sides of the building. It was originally designed in case for emergency. Though, since it could be easily misused by Doms and Subs inmates, it is usually guarded by officers on both ends.

“Oh, Warden, you're taking this way? But it's Halloween.” An Asian officer stops Harry worriedly, casting the path behind himself a look of doubt. Harry follows his gaze, looking beyond the door as well. Well, true, the already dim path does look even dimmer today, the light masking the bare walls with a odd sense of eerie.

He shrugs. “It's just halloween, a season filled with pumpkins and costumes. It’s not like the dead are arising anytime."

“Hmm I’m not sure, back home we take these seasons pretty seriously. Be careful sir.” The guard reminds, looking genuinely concerned.

Harry nods his thanks, although he think he's highly not going to be attacked by some creepy ghosts. He pushes open the door, crossing the path quickly. He doesn't know if it's the effect of the guard’s warning on him, but the air seems thicker and the end seems further away. Harry shakes his head to clear his mind of the strange thoughts, then brisk walks through the path, pushing the door on the other side a little quicker than usual.

A bright light welcomes him.

  


*

 

Louis is focused in his handiwork, that he doesn't pay it much attention when a puff of cool air chills down his spine.

He brushes it off as the air conditioning in the room, going back to cutting shapes out of paper. It happens for the second time, though, and this time, Louis pauses his fingers.

He looks around, seeing no one.

Louis softly gasps, immediately turning back, a million of thoughts running through his mind. Surely this is just a joke, right? Halloween is fake, a legend to trick kids and let adults dress up. There can't be anyone, for other inmates in the room are pretty spaced out. Louis sensed no movements.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” A deep and familiar rumble voices out beside him. 

Louis nearly jumps, placing his palm over his rapidly beating heart in relief when he sees it’s a real person - Harry popping out besides him in an instant. “Oh it’s just you, Officer,” He sighs to himself loudly, chuckling in the effect of the faded fear, “I’m just cutting out letters to put on a string, it’s for the bunting that’s gonna be hung up there.” He points at the edge of the wall where it meets the ceiling.

“Of course it’s me, or who else would you think it is?” Harry gives him a strange look.

“Huh, I don’t know, some _thing_ else?” Louis chews the insides of his cheeks, sending a look of doubt around, “It’s Halloween. So maybe people are playing tricks on me…”

“Well,” Harry laughs, gesturing dismissively, “If it’s just tricks that means it’s not real. For the record, we don’t allow ghosts in here.”

“It feels good to know that we’re at least safe from harm,” Louis hushes out dramatically, smirking.

“Definitely, protecting you...all is my top priority as a warden.” Harry chuckles, following along with the joke, hoping that Louis hasn’t caught on his almost-slip of tongue.

A ray of sunlight shines through the windows, casting a diagonal golden yellow glow that radiates right off Louis’ tan skin, it bounces off his caramel coloured hair leaving it in a blond disguise. He blinks up, and the sun is in his eyes suddenly, the blue reflected as an innocent, twinkly blue. He shifts slightly, the sunray angling down to his thin lips, hitting them in a way that as if the cherry pink is going to burst from the pair. They’re captivating Harry with a  sense of lure. Suddenly, a strange thought enters his mind. He wants to just feel them...on his…

He sees them moving, instinctively, he licks his own lips too, before the sensible side of his brain catches up to realize Louis is in fact talking to him. “Huh? What did you say?”

“Uh, I - ” The shorter lad looks flustered, raising his scissors, “I was saying if you don’t need me anymore, I have to go back to cutting papers.”

“Oh. Sure, go on. You’re so far doing a good job on them. Um, happy Halloween.” He says weakly, still shook from his daze. 

The corners of Louis’ lips lift up in a quaint smile, “Shouldn’t it be creepy?”

Harry doesn’t reply directly, just shrugs and offers an unreadable smile. Out of peripheral view, he faintly spots Zayn squinting his eyes at him. Well, that usually means his friend has something good to say, but bad to Harry’s own welfare. 

Josh slips in between Harry and Louis without the both of them noticing, grinning a tad too brightly at Harry. Harry takes it as his cue to leave, walking towards Zayn with the latter beckoning him to come. Josh elbows Louis in the side gently. 

“You’re always talking to him, y’know?” He says, acting nonchalant.

“Huh? Who?” Louis turns back to Josh almost reluctantly, his gaze previously fixed on the warden back as the Dom walks away.

“Are you even listening to me?” Josh whines, rolling his eyes in exasperation, “I mean _him_ , Styles.”

Louis raises his eyebrows at the slight dose of distaste in his friend’s voice. “Um, really? I don’t know. Well, we do have some serious thing on my case to talk about sometimes.” 

“I know. But other times as well. Not only _I_ am saying this but others are too, and they asked _me_ about it, expecting _me_ to know, while I hardly even _see_ you anymore these days.” Josh gives Louis a pointed look, turning around to jump up to sit on the table. 

“So, what are you trying to say about this?” Louis asks, oblivious.

“All I’m gonna say is, bros before hoes, bro.”

 “What??” Louis utters out, thoroughly confused now, “I don’t - We have nothing between - Just no!” 

“Did you not notice?” Josh exclaims, “Did you just now not see the way he - Ugh - I’m not even gonna say this.” He sighs dramatically.

“Wait,” Louis side eyes him, “Are you _jealous_?" 

“I’m not. Gosh, no.” Josh holds up his hands in surrender, bewildered, “Although I’m very much gay I’d prefer Doms. We’re not Daniel and Jimmy.” He says, referring to the pair of Sub inmates who (seem to) have a thing between them. “What I mean is, just go as slow as you can with our warden, okay?”

“Huh.” Louis says, dumbfounded.

  


On the other side of the room, Zayn drags a very confused Harry into a corner, emotions unreadable on his face. He turns around to face Harry, taking a deep breath as if he has a long lecture to begin, but he just looks at Harry instead. Harry looks at him.

Eventually, Harry sighs in defeat. “Okay. What, now?”

“You fancy him.” Zayn concludes. 

Harry’s heart skips a beat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You very well know what I’m talking about.” Zayn narrows his eyes at his boss, and best friend, “Tell me your plans.” 

“I have none!” Harry sighs difficultly, “I seriously don’t know. I never even thought about it before, until just now...I suddenly…” He trails off.

“I know. I saw. You’re so obvious.” Zayn says, a smirk now playing on his lips.

“Am I? I don’t know, I’m so confused right now. It just - kinda happened.”

“Is this why you always go all soft, caring Dom over the poor lad? Especially when we found out about the abuse, no, even before that.”

“Do I? Really? I just always want to hug him and make him feel better, but maybe I just see it as my duty to defend him? He’s innocent and shouldn’t belong here, after all.” Harry counters.

“Yeah, I noticed. But I just never say anything. Haz, genuinely, although me and Ni always set up with with blind dates, we both know you have to find the right one yourself, and you’ll wait until they eventually come. Under normal circumstances, I’ll tell you to go for it, but I can’t now, because there is no guarantee. You have to think about this carefully because not only will it affect you, but it’ll also affect him, and a lot of decisions we make in the future.” Zayn uncrosses his arms, leaning on the wall behind him.

Harry is speechless.

“Now this is for you to decide whether you want to just be a supportive friend, or be someone else, someone more important. We won’t judge and will support you either way.” Zayn throws down, patting Harry on the biceps,” This serious talk is over.” 

Zayn knows it has to be a fast decision, or the pair is just going to be stuck here forever and it won’t do anyone good; but also knowing his friend, especially how he has been acting lately, he knows the decision won’t take Harry too long, or the anticipation is just going to eat him alive.

  
  


**

 

Back at the decoration site, the sky is starting to dim. The low murmur in the room has somehow spooked, the atmosphere thickens the air, everyone is buzzing in their seats, listening intently to an old inmate describing one of the ghost tale rumours that happened in the prison. 

Even though they all know it's fake, but they still sit in a circle like kids and biting their lips, on edge. Even the jerks in the prison joins in the party, though occasionally taking over and trying to scare the other Subs with their own horror stories. They pass candies around, huddled up in a pile, just enjoying a quiet night.

Close to midnight, they're ordered to go to bed. They head off to their own rooms reluctantly, though glad that the guards let them stay up this late just for Halloween. 

Kurt nudges Louis, his wide eyes glimmering in the dark, “Hey, beware of the monsters under your bed tonight.”

 

*

 

Louis wakes up in a sweat, panting heavily as he rolls onto his back, the dream still vivid behind his eyelids. It is a strange one. He’s not even sure if it’s a dream or not. He hears someone calling his name, but the voice is hollow, and scratchy, and feels so close, as if the person is just right beside him on the bed, whispering into his ear. His eyes shoot open, staring wildly into the dark room. Just when he’s about to close them, he sees a lime green glow at the window, and a cool puff of air sweeping his toes.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  anyways thanks for reading this !! and for the support !! luv u xo 
> 
> [kudos and comments motivates me :D]


	15. Solace (Part 2.11)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Hiiiii so here's a Louis [fanart](http://lying-here-i-counting-hours.tumblr.com/post/151239633295/cool-kid) (the exact scene I described in the last chapter as a reference) 
> 
> if you guys have no idea what is going on in this chapter, do go back and read the "Intro" chapter...just sayin' :/

“And what do we have here?” Harry sighs heavily as he walks into the conference room, pulling out a wooden chair and plops down onto it, opposite of an inmate who is already waiting for him there, biting at a hangnail. “Liam Payne. You requested me privately. How can I help you?”

Though Harry acts professional, he is in fact very tired, despite it only being afternoon, for he had to deal with messy shenanigans in the Dom Wing that morning. The Submissive inmate looks up at him, wearing an expression Harry could point, but can’t read.

Liam folds his arms on the table, leaning forward when Harry sits down. He blinks, “It's rather something  _ I _ could help you with.”

Harry blinks back, unamused, “What do I need help in?”

Liam merely offers a half-smirk, shrugging, “I know you guys are reopening Louis’ case.”

Curiosity rises within Harry. “Yes, how do you know?” He confirms, then shaking his head , “Actually, I know. News travel fast. But, so what?”

Liam cuts him off, “I have an offer.”

That grabs Harry’s attention, but he doesn’t let his interest show through. Instead, he raises an eyebrow, thrusting out an open palm, “Elaborate.”

“I don't know if this would be useful to you, but it's something you can look at. If you already know who I used to work for before I got arrested,” Liam begins.

Harry nods, “Yes, I do. You used to be a cook for Blue Jones.”

“You did find that out,” Liam gives him a shocked glance, “I'm not that surprised, though. It doesn't relate to how I ended up here, but under some situation I somehow filmed a video of Blue Jones and his partner, Iero, I think, talking about their business.” He sums up, rather quickly.

Harry sits up straighter. Now this is the contents he wants. Putting on a more serious attitude, he asks, “Tell me more.”

“I really don’t remember. It was a long time time ago. Besides you could just see for yourself. It should be something useful.” Liam pauses, “I overheard them accidentally. I was hiding, so I was not even sure what I've got. I just kept it in case I have to use it against them future. Don't get me wrong, their business have nothing to do with me.”

Harry acknowledges the remark at the end but doesn't say anything, instead he provides, ““Frank Iero is arrested a while ago. He’s also in this prison.” 

“Oh yeah? Well, cool.” Liam chuckles, as if he has again foreseen this, “even though the real one you have to catch is Jones. He's the one behind everything.”

“Well, if you think so, why didn't you report him then? You worked for him for such a long time, ” Harry retorts.

Liam shrugs, shamelessly, “I needed the money to live. That job pays well.”

A feeling of disgust and disbelief immediately flames in Harry's throat, “So you could just watch all the Subs being abused to half-dead and do nothing about it?”

“Life's hard, Sir, don't question it.” Liam rolls his eyes in exasperation, “Do you want the evidence or not?”

Harry huffs. He doesn't argue with Liam, he can't alter his thoughts right now, the evidence is more important. They need to show a direct linkage between Jones and Iero, if what caught on tape is strong proof enough, the video could really be a big help. 

Seeing the warden didn't reply, Liam has the audacity to look pleased. “I took the video with my phone, which I believe is in my belongings. You could go have a look first, then decide if it's useful after all. If it's no help then you could just forget about this.”

“I’ll take a look of it later,” Harry acknowledges. He was starting to leave when a thought comes to his mind. He settles back down, narrowing his eyes at the inmate, “What do you want to get out of this? You won't be suddenly offering if it gets you nothing.”

Liam sighs in defeat, “I’m not like that, at least not this time. I genuinely think maybe I should do something to help ‘cause well, I’m also a Sub after all. Louis deserves better. Besides, it's no harm done to me.” He finishes, then smirk subtly at Harry, “Though, if you’re offering, since I did some good things, you could maybe, I don’t know, put me on good behaviour?”

“I knew it.” Harry deadpans, “Well, I’m not sure about the good behaviour. The most I could do is to list you as a witness. That way it’d be better to you anyways.” 

“You should see the video, before you decide. Doesn't matter to me anyways, but if it could help I guess it’s a plus.”

“I'll take a look, but the real work is to be left to the detectives.” Harry says dismissively. Even though in his heart, all he wants to do is to race to the locker that stores Liam’s belongings to check the video, but that’s how you deal with inmates like Liam: secretive and hostile.

“What’s your phone passcode?”

“I don’t have one.” Harry nods, collecting his files and exiting the room. Then, pretending to walk very casually, he heads straight to the locker room to retrieve the Submissive inmate’s belongings.

  
  


*-*

 

Prison is a conformity. It’s an even more conformative place to enclose the non-conformists. Some people are here because they did something wrong to the eyes of the society they have to live together with, some others are here in order to feel safe in a conformity. Louis belongs to the latter group.

But like said, a prison is enclosed. Sometimes, facing the four walls in your cell and other walls in the building suffocates you, it makes your mind go blank and maybe that’s how they force people to conform. 

Contradictorily, the outside is more of an open space. You could look further, even tho it is through the gaps between the fence. But there’s still some space that are more secluded, it feels kind of nice, it feels like finding a secret land.

It feels different, talking to Louis outside the prison building versus inside of it. The sun is always bright outside in the afternoon that Louis has to squint his eyes, and you could see the sunlight bouncing off his surprisingly long eyelashes that fans out across his high cheekbones. This is not an exaggeration.

Meanwhile Harry is finding it awkward to cope with his newfound affection towards the Sub. He always tries to nonchalantly catch a word with the inmate and makes it seems like he’s not doing it on purpose, even though it’s just small talk everyday. He tries to make it seems like he’s just being a responsible warden, regularly checking in with his inmates’ well-being. Though, everyone could see this is not high school but a rehabilitation prison.

“Enjoying a good day outside, eh?” Harry walks up beside Louis, who is leaning on the metal fence, looking cozy in his prison grey sweater. He knows he's smiling that frog smile now, the one that Niall always call him out on.

Louis smiles up at him coyly, as if he's startled by the Dom’s sudden presence. “It's not too cold out here.”

“How've you been up to?” Harry asks.

“Um,” Louis chuckles softly, like he's not sure why Harry suddenly asks him this, “like usual?”

“Good.” Harry runs a hand through his long curls which have been blown messy but the December breeze, to bats away the awkwardness. But it's a good awkward. It just feels like a schoolgirl crush all over again, Harry doesn't know if he wants to be there for him all the time, or be there with him all the time. 

“Uhh,” He stammers out, “I guess see you later?” Just for good measure, he sticks out a palm to ruffle at Louis’ hair, causing his longish fringe to fall in front of his eyes. Louis scrunches up his nose at that cutely which oddly resembles a kitten to Harry. Harry keeps that image in mind, smiling and waving at Louis, muttering a bye. Louis hums back at him softly.

Liam, on the other side of the field, watches quietly as the exchange unfolds before him. He contemplates if what he's doing is good for everyone. See, he doesn't only think for himself, he also thinks for others when he's sure that himself will be fine. He is perceived as cold most of the time, but that's just how he's learnt to survive well in the past years.

Harry is good for Louis, he decides, even if they may not know it yet. He's good at reading others, it's just a skill that is essential for him to acquire. He wouldn't place trouble in his own normally, but he sympathizes with Louis, because he knows what's up.  
  


 

 

“Welcome back here again, Louis.” Officer Lucas, the counsellor, claps his hands when Louis walks into the counselling room.

Louis smiles politely at him, noticing it's also only Officer Lucas in the room this time. He takes a sit in the high chair opposite of the desk when the officer gestures him to. 

“How've you been lately, Louis?” Officer Lucas asks with a shining smile on, sounding all formal.

“Good.” Louis replies simply.

“Good? Great.” The officer is looking at him directly now. “So I've heard of what is going on, but we’re not going to talk about your case now, instead we’ll be talking about your feelings.”

“My feelings?” 

“Yes, precisely. Tell me, how do you feel about having the chance to get out of prison sooner?” 

“Well,” Louis starts, “I'm still not completely sure whether I want to. I'm helping the police to investigate, and if it could get me out of here sooner, then I guess that’s good. but if it can't then I'm fine with it too.” 

“Hmm,” Officer Lucas makes a sound, like he's finding something in Louis’ answer, bringing his elbows onto the desk and hanging his chin on his palms. “You do know you can't stay here forever, right? Although I know what a safe space means. The world's still out there, y'know, functioning and all. You can't miss it out.”

“I know,” Louis sighs like he's been thinking about this a lot, “I wouldn't want to be hiding all my life too. It’s just, uncertainty. I don't know what will happen to me, I don't know if the world will be good. But someone made me think that maybe it’ll be okay after all, as long as I’m willing to let it be.”

Office Lucas makes a humming sound in his throat again, “Interesting development.”

Louis shrugs like it's no big deal, “I hope what I think now keeps being true.”

The guard proceeds to all him more questions. 

  
  
  


It's movie night and Louis is sure that he's the only one who's asleep, or nearly falling asleep. He's so tired, despite not having done much for the day, the shift at the prison library was easy, as it should be. He slept well last night, though it takes him long to finally doze off. 

“Oi! Wake up.” Josh, who's sitting beside him in a bean bag, nudges him and whispers in a hushed yell, “We're not having another long movie in another fortnight. Stay awake for this.” 

“Wha’?” Louis opens his half-lidded eyes, squinting at the bright screen in the dim room. Its showing some Benedict Cumberbatch movie. He's not that much of a fan. Thinks he looks weird. His eyes falls close again, he mumbles, “Leave me alone. ‘M tired.”

“Why are you tired? You have done nothing today.” Josh says again. Louis just chuckles. “I don't care.” That's the last thing he hears before he succumbs to a dreamless nap.

When he wakes up again, he finds himself lying on the beanbag Josh was sitting on. Someone whispers into his ears, “C’mon, get up. Everyone’s gone.” 

Louis looks around, and lets Josh pulls him up into a standing position. The movie is over, the end credits rolling on the projected screening. The other inmates are filing out of the room, some to shower, some going back to their own cells. Louis heaves a loud sign, rubbing a fist over his eyes to cast the sleep away. He’s not sure if he can fall asleep eausly again tonight, having already slept so much and abruptly woken. Seriously, this is a vicious cycle. 

“I was in the middle of a dream.” He pouts to Josh. Even though he wasn't dreaming at all.

 

*-*

 

Harry looks at Louis from afar. He is sitting on the ground, leaning against the brick wall of the chapel, joining and fooling around with other inmates. He suddenly thinks how good he'll look playing football on the field. Despite Louis claiming that he wants to stay in the prison for longer, Harry knows he secretly wishes to get out, by the way how he stares out of the fence sometimes. He's just scared of the dangers outside, but he's more scared of being trapped.

Maybe Zayn’s right, he does feel more for Louis. He doesn't only feel sorry for what had happened to him, he also wants to be the one to protect him at all costs, to make sure he is happy. His heart aches for the Sub. He just wasn’t sure if he should act on his feelings. It’s a right time for him to decide. Louis could get out of here. He may not be entirely sure before, but after the video, he knows.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  something :
> 
> What I said in the chapter about prison is not what i really think. It's just another insight given to fit in with the story. (It is something I'd do A LOT in my future fics so don't be surprised.) Also i think there is something morally right and wrong, even tho our rules are all a social construct. Then again, grey area makes up a lot of that space, and I'm personally one of those who choose to never be a follower. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Comments and kudos motivates me :D]


	16. Solace (Part 2.12)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Had a bad day and decided to update so at least I could brighten yours up :/

Harry wants to tell him everything, about what he’s go on hand right now, the new evidences, the videotape, how he wants the man - the abuser - jailed more and more as seconds past, how he also so much wants to kiss the lad on the lips, how he’s feeling - falling - for him. He wants to tell him everything. But he can’t, not right this moment. It’d ruin things.

So Harry just lets things sinks. He puts them at the back of his mind, locks it deep in his heart, and just lets things go the way they want, the way they’re meant to. He doesn’t say anything. Action speaks louder than words.

Mornings, he passes Louis in the hallway. The Sub always gives him this sly smile that Harry wants to burn in his mind for as long as he can. Sometimes he does a little wave, wriggling his fingers and giggling silently. Harry would smile back and says a “Heyyyyy”. Other times Harry would just stand and watch from afar, as Louis laughs with the other inmates. Sometimes Zayn stands up to him and gives him this little nudge and a knowing smirk. Harry always rolls his eyes and threatens to smack it out of the other Dom’s face. But he could only smile too, secretly.

Harry’s been working night shifts lately. He works through the night and leaves early in the morning, only to come back later. In the mornings he changes back into his casual clothes. For him, when he’s out of the boring uniform, he’s always about gold boots and long coats and flannels that he pops the first few buttons open. Sometimes topped with a hat, if he pleases. It’s even more hipster than it sounds.

Louis gives him a surprised look this morning, when he sees his favourite officer not in work clothes. “Whoa,” He blinks, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in these.”

“Yeah,” Harry breathes, “Well I don’t work late nights shifts often so you guys never see the other me.”

“Oh?” Louis looks amused, “The other you? You mean the you who are not stern nor very Dom? I think I saw plenty of that.”

Harry chuckles softly, shaking his head, “Only for you, doll.” He shifts on his legs, looking for something else to say. Weirdly he wants to stay more now that Louis is here. “You’re up early too. Had a good night?”

Louis sighs, pursing his lips, “Not really. I’ve had better.”

“Oh." Harry instantly feels bad and wants to just take the small lad into his arms and pet his fluffy hair, "Take it easy then. Look, I gotta get going...See you later soon? When I come back?”

That brings a faint smile up to the Sub’s face, “Yeah.”

Harry nods lamely, subtly waving at him to bid a goodbye then turning to head towards the exit of the building. He half expects something more. Every time he leaves after making small talk with the Sub he always finds it awkward, like he is not meant to be going, like there’s something between them that pulls everything together.

“Hey!” Louis calls out softly behind him. When Harry looks back, a light blush has crept up on the Sub’s cheeks,”Um - can I have a hug?”

Harry smiles, walking back to him. He doesn't care what people in the hallway see, he's their warden after all. He opens his arms wide, Louis looks up at him with thankful eyes and tumbles into the embrace gracefully. Harry’s arms come wrapping around Louis’ waist loosely, the position fitting just right, rubbing up and down subtly. Louis gingerly lays his head down on Harry’s collarbones, nosing the material of his uniform. Harry's chest is sort of soft, with all the muscles there. The embrace is very, very warm, like a comfy blanket that drapes over Louis.

“Hey, what is it?” Harry’s deep voice rumbles above him.

Louis shakes his head at first, his grip on the bottom of Harry’s shirt tighter. Then he sighs faintly, deciding to tell him after all. “It’s silly...I just had a weird dream. It was the middle of the night. I saw wolves, like wild wolves, all around. They’re chasing me, headed straight for me. Then someone came out and took them down one by one. And then I saw, it was you.” He looks up hesitantly, biting his lips.

He pretends he didn't see the way the Dom’s eyes flicker down to his lips, instead he focuses on the thumb that is rubbing circles into the bottom of his spine, and how oddly good that feels.

“It’s just a dream, you’ll never be chased by a wolf in real life.” Is what Harry could only muster up with as a reply.

Louis smiles. He snuggles some more into Harry’s neck, breathing in the cologne there, before releasing him from the hug.”Thank you, I needed this.”

“You're always welcomed to come to me wherever you need to, y'know.” Harry says quietly.

Louis nods, stepping away from him. He gives Harry a little wave, walking back to where he was going to go, before disappearing into the crowd of other inmates.

That's when Harry realizes that if there is someone he'd want to spend his life protecting and caring for, it’ll be Louis. Harry just wants to wrap him up in his arms, hold him tight and tells him he has someone to love him now, that all will be okay now. If Harry is a big puzzle that is forever missing an unknown piece, Louis is that puzzle piece that fits right in.

 

*-*

 

Louis first heard about it in the canteen. “Say again?” He had whipped around and gasped, with a mouth full of food.

Josh had repeated, wish a ghost of smile lingering at the corner of his lips, “I’m getting out in a month.”

Louis sputters, struggling to swallow all his food, ending up coughing when bits of it can't go down his throat, “What? You're serious?” He whimpers out.

Josh chuckles and pats his back soothingly, “Yes, I am,” He says, still smiling, “No kidding. They told me this morning. And you're the first one I tell!”

“Whoa,” Louis awes faintly, “And how long have you been waiting… This – I am so happy for you. Truly.”

“Bro, I know right. I thought I didn't care, but I can't describe how happy I’m actually for this.” Josh exclaims, shoving a sausage into his mouth, before choking on it.

“So, what are you doing when you're out?” Louis asks, taking a sip of his water

Josh ponders for a beat, “I think I'm gonna find a job first thing, so I could at least support myself. I had some money saved in secret which my Dom then never knew, so I'm gonna use that to rent a place, since I'm no longer living with him anymore. I don't think I'm ever seeing him again. Good riddance. I want a complete new start.”

“How about later? What do you wanna do later?”

Josh hums, “That kinda depends on what I first get as a job when I get out, I guess I'll just go from there. Though, before I was in prison I was offered to be a permanent drummer for a band, so if that proposition still stands, I will go do that.” He says, a smile lighting up on his face as he thinks of how much he used to be into music and drumming.

“Don't forget me though, come visit me once in a while,” Louis reminds him, though his tone shows that he's just teasing.

“It’s not like you're going to stay here for any longer. They're getting your case aren't they? I give it at most one or two months before you're free,” He pats Louis' shoulders kindly, “Don't worry, bud, I won't ever forget you.”

Louis smiles at him. He begins thinking about himself. If it’s really as Josh predicts, that he could be out soon, he has to think about how he's going to live. Unlike Josh, he doesn't have friends out there to help him, so he must find a way to manage our it will just be worse to be out than be in prison. As his thoughts run wild, without realizing his gaze incidentally falls on Harry, who's talking to whoever a few benches away. He is deep in his own world until he feels the lad beside him nudges him.

He gives a looking saying “What?” to Josh. The latter smirks and tilts his chin towards the direction Louis was previously looking at. He leans in sideways into Louis, as if he's telling a secret, “I’d tell you what now. Go for it.”

Louis blinks at where Josh is pointing at, or _who_. He didn't know he was looking, but he was. His lips part slightly agape in surprise. For a moment he just stares, just watching again as Harry flips his long ringlets past his shoulders. Louis bites at his lips, turning back to Josh, “Really? You think so?”

“Go for it,” Josh says more firmly and nods. There's a certain glint in his eyes, “Trust me on this.”

Coincidentally, as if he knows what Louis is thinking about, Harry turns in Louis' direction. He catches the Sub’s eyes and winks, smiling. Louis had to try hard not to blush.

 

*_*

 

Harry was walking towards the small meeting room, curiosity swimming in his head. Zayn has called him earlier on, also Niall and Officer Lucas in, saying that there is and emergency needed to be discussed. He could only wonder what it is. He comes up to the room which door is slightly ajar, he could already hear whispers in the room of people lowly murmuring. He raised his palm to push open the door, but comes to a halt when he hears what they are talking about.

He peeks into the room. Zayn is already there with his back facing Harry, Niall is also there too. Missing is himself and Lucas.

“So what happened?” Niall asks, holding a burger in his hands, which is, not a surprise. The Irish lad is always seen with some food around. If he's not constantly eating, that's something wrong.

Zayn mumbles something, but since he's facing the other side, Harry couldn't hear clearly.

He hears a soft gasp and he watches as Niall’s eyes go comically wide. “No! I won't allow it. That’s too dangerous.” The blond objects at once, a concerned and disgusted look immediately taking over his features.

"I don't know, man. That was my first response too. But when I think about it...Maybe we've just been given a chance." Zayn just sighs, shrugging, his eyes telling Niall that he also doesn't know what to do. "Let's ask the others first, and Harry, see what he'll say."

"I think he'll say no." Niall comments.

Curiosity kills Harry. He decides to make his presence known then. “What? What's wrong?” He finally pushes open the door and bursts into the room. Zayn turns around quickly and once he sees the other Dom, he gives him a complicated look, almost sympathetic. Niall's face mirrors his own Dom's. At this moment, Officer Lucas arrives beside Harry.

It’s Niall who tells them.

“Blue Jones applied to visit Louis.”

  


 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  you have no idea how much i love louis he's so great
> 
> thank you everyone for the immense support :D
> 
> sorry for (kinda) cliffhanger oops...keep an eye out for the next few chapters ;)


	17. Solace (Part 2.13)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  2016 is such a mad year, so i'm giving y'all this chapter. after this chapter things will start to be alright and i hope the same for 2017
> 
> seriously tho...i'll be nowhere without your lovely comments and support...i mean it, every time i feel lost i try to look back at the suggestions you guys gave me and i always have some kind of new ideas...love you guys and (late) merry christmas and hope y'all have a prosperous new year...chase your dreams and what not,,,go out there and shine guys

Harry and his colleagues eventually comes up with a conclusion. And now it comes to the even harder part: How to break it gently to Louis. Harry knows Louis must refuse. This is dangerous, he knows, it is risky. Almost too risky. It could leads to potential triggers, actual body harm, disruptions, or nothing at all. Just so many things could happen, and they're out of Harry’s reach in prediction. This makes the man even more anxious, and worried about the Submissive inmate. Louis is tough inside, he knows, and all the other times he’s okay, except when he’s not. He wonders if the lad could handle this. _On his own._ Harry never knows what will happen, and this uncertainty is eating him. Which leads him to the situation he’s in at the moment.

Harry keeps pacing back and forth outside Louis' cell, making it looks like he’s patrolling. He indeed is, but he’s been outside the same area for twenty minutes now. He’s meant to be telling Louis, but he just doesn't know how. Every time he is about to speak, he walks back out. The door is ajar, the Sub is in there sketching something from a book. His tongue pokes out of his lips in concentration, a stray fringe curls around his high cheekbones. He looks soft.

“Oi! Mate, what are you doing, pacing over here?” Niall’s strongly-accented voice rings out behinds him.

Harry turns around, as the blonde lad slowly walks up to him, face showing curiosity. Harry scratches his jaw, index trailing to his bottom lip, “Just - I’m, uh…” He stutters.

Niall tilts his chin towards the cell before them silently, “Haven’t you told him the news yet?”

“No…” The warden admits.

“What, why not? Boss has already approved, so what are you waiting for? ” Niall asks, motioning Harry to follow him into a corner of the same corridor, but further away from Louis’ cell. He says in a more serious tone,  “The sooner is the better, H, so we could start planning.”

Harry sighs, “I _know_ , Ni, I just don’t know how to tell him. It’s not an easy thing to put on him, especially when things have just started to look good. I don’t want this to crush him and makes him anxious,” He trails off, then in a quieter voice, “… Louis deserves much better.”

“You’ve fallen deep, haven’t you?” Niall smirks, though looking up at his boss and friend in a fond stare, “ ‘Cause it’s not everyday to see _the_ Officer Styles so hesitant. But well, what have you come up with on the plans we could use for when Louis has to meet Blue Jones? I think we could start thinking of some leading questions that’ll make him admit what he’s done.”

“Hmm, only Louis knows what to say so that it could rile up the reactions we want from Jones. So we have to plan with him. Our problem is that a few triggering words might be necessary, and they will only add to the risk we need to bear.” Niall nods, admiring the Dom’s thoughtfulness. Harry is still deep in thought, that the both of them didn't notice the soft pitter patter of footsteps that leads up behind them.

“W-What are you two talking about?” A breathless, yet very recognizable voice rings out at the corner. Harry’s heart thumps loudly, he immediately turns around as if he's hiding something, and Niall gasps softly.

“Louis…” Louis slowly walks out from the corner, stepping in front of the two officers. He looks back and forth between the two of them, lips slightly apart.

For as long as he’s been drawing, a curly-haired giant has been wandering outside out of the corner of his eyes. After five more minutes, Louis is having it no more. so he slams down his pencil on the desk. He reckons Harry has something to say and it has to have something to do with him, so he follows the man out. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he couldn't help what he heard.

Louis’ heart drops to his stomach. An intense wave of fear courses over him. He says in a shaky voice. “So is what you’re discussing true? Me meeting Blue Jones? Absolutely not. What does he even want from me?” He meets Harry’s stormy look. “Y-You’re not allowing this right, Sir?”

his voice cracks on last syllable. “What!” He splutters, eyes going incredibly wide,

Harry watches as his beloved Submissive grows restless. But he has nothing to say but to confirm the acclaim, which he can't brings himself to do. He opens his mouth, only to close it again.

“Well?”

“Louis,” Niall begins,”we wouldn’t ask you to do this if we didn’t have the video. The evidence is really solid proof, but we just need this one thing more. Then we’re done here.”

Louis blinks cluelessly at the blonde Sub, then narrowing his eyes, “Wait, what video?”

Niall’s jaw drops open in surprise. He turns to Harry accusingly, “You didn’t tell him that either? But that’s good news!”

“What _else_ are you keeping away from me?” Louis exclaims, his eyes locked on Harry. He and Harry states at each other intensely, a subtle pout evident on Louis’ bottom lip.

“Harry…” Niall mumbles frustratedly at the same time.

“Well I didn’t tell you that just yet because I don’t wanna keep your hopes up. But yes, we’ve recently got new evidence and it’s a great help to our case.” Harry admits reluctantly, pushing his fingers through his long locks.

“Look, I guess I’d better leave you two alone to talk to each other,” Niall says smartly, “But go somewhere else to talk.”

Louis huffs. He gives a soft glare at Harry and turns around abruptly, stomping back to his own cell.

Harry, of course, follows him into the room, closing the door behind himself. When he turns around, Louis is sitting on the bed, looking up at him with an expectant arch of brow. Harry silently braces himself for the upcoming questions.

Louis clears his throat. “You said I don’t have to see him, so why do I have to do it now?” He frowns at Harry, beginning to get defensive.

“I - I wouldn’t allow this, normally,” Harry sighs difficultly, suddenly feeling tired, “I couldn’t let such a sick man come near you anymore, but now he’s basically offering up himself to us. We must seize this chance ‘cause he might be our last hope...And, we need you to do the deed.”

“B-But you promised that I wouldn't ever have to see that bastard’s face again. That's why I agreed to all of this.”

Louis bites into his bottom lip harshly, trying not to feel betrayed or hurt, while his mind is jumping to worst scenarios in lightning speed.

“But Louis, think about it. It’ll be the best chance we’ve got. We can hook you up with a recorder and you could lead him to admit that he has abused you, that’ll sure be a valid enough evidence,” Harry explains gently,

“Together with the new evidence we got, this is really the last thing we have to do. I’ve already hand all the sources we got on the board. I’m friends with a few other departments and they told me they’ve actually been after Jones for a while, though because of some other cases. Don’t you see it? There’s no losing in this case, we can definitely put him in jail.”

Harry gives him a pleading look, attempting to convey every single ounce of sincerity in his chest to the lad. His brain is contradicting with his heart, he doesn't even have the heart to persuade Louis, seeing the mere mention of his ex-Dom’s visit has already riled him up so much. But it's time to face the reality, they need to take actions now, or never. Harry watches as looks of conflict fly across Louis’ features. But then Louis sighs, slowly shaking his head in denial, sad expression written on his face which makes Harry’s chest aches greatly.

The Dom sighs gently, “You’ll be fine, Lou.”

Louis stops pacing, and look at Harry right in the eyes. “No. And that's my final answer.” And before Harry could protest further, he adds, “Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? It's like ー like a deal breaker. He abused me. He raped me. He _hurt_ me. For three fucking whole years. No matter he gets thrown into prison or not or whether I could have a normal life after this, his face will forever be in my nightmares. It's gonna haunt for a lifetime. The past few months working on my case already had me gone through many nights crying myself to sleep. Seeing him is the last thing I need right now.”

“Please Louis…” Harry mumbles weakly.

Louis sighs brokenly, blurting out, “Sir...There’s something I never understood. Why do you care so much anyways? I know you want justice and all that. but my case isn't an easy one, and obviously you’ve always cared much more than I do.”

Harry gasps and takes a few steps closer, clutching Louis’ both hands in his. He hurries to       say, mustering up the most sincere and urgent tone he could find, “W-We can't just stop here Louis. We’re so, _so_ close to success. We had the evidence from Payne and now we only need this. Then you’re free!”

But Louis shakes his head rapidly, pulling his hands out of Harry’s grasp and gives him a firm look, “No, really. Why do you care about this? Why do you care so much about me? It’s not like I’m gonna be here for long anyways. Why do you have to fight this for me? _Why do you have to care!_ ” He snaps, almost close to yelling.

“Because of _this_!” Harry shouts.

And suddenly, his lips are on Louis’.

The force of the pair of lips crashing into Louis’ causes him to tumble backwards. Harry immediately places a palm on the back of Louis’ head to steady him, sweeping in to crash his lips flushed against him again. The pent-up urge to kiss Louis over the course of all these months finally washes over Harry. Ever since the last few weeks, and since he steps into the room, he’s been craving it. He craves the taste of those sweet, pink lips. He wants to tell him everything he can’t tell in words.

Louis squeals a loud gasp against the warm lips in surprise. His eyes widens but he didn’t push Harry away. Harry takes it as an okay from the boy and starts pulling him in, his palm cupping around Louis’ left cheek to tilt his head up. His lips are there, pressing into the softness, and saltiness in Louis' because of some stray tears that has managed to fall. He keeps pressing in harder, teeth grazing against the swelling bottom lip, tongue darting out to do kitten licks.

Much to Harry’s surprise, Louis only leans in closer, and starts moving his own lips. He opens his mouth slightly, and Harry kisses back, sucking quietly at Louis’ bottom lip. Harry’s free hand begins to sneak around the sides of Louis’ frail waist, which makes the Sub place his either palms on Harry’s broad chest to support himself, head tilting upwards. Louis has closed his eyes, his heart beating loud against his chest, he feels like he’s going to explode.

The kiss lasts for a while, it’s sweet, but still full of urgency and desperation that Louis has to keep himself from letting out a small whimper. When their lips finally detach, red and puffy from the snog, Harry inhales deeply. He pulls back by an inch, resting his forehead against Louis’ and staring into the watery eyes that shines brightness. Louis looks up to him, cerulean meeting the emerald green. Harry thinks he can see the universe in those baby blues.

“Because of this.” Harry whispers, barely audible in the small space between them, “Louis, I just want to protect you. I want to protect you from all the darkness of your past and all the bad people. I can’t stand the thought of someone as lovely as you getting hurt again. I want you to be happy. And staying here in prison? It might seems peaceful to you but I can so very well see that you’re not yet happy. You’re still on the escape. And I care about you, I also want you. A whole lot,” Harry lets his eyes fall shut and pecks on Louis’ agape mouth again, then blinking them open again to reveal soft green ones, “ _like this._ ”

Louis stares into Harry’s eyes in awe. They are wide blown with utter sincerity. He sees nothing but the brutal truth behind the viridescent iris, he sees how bad Harry has been holding up, not letting his affection get the better of him ever since Louis has come clean as innocent; he can see the burning rage behind them too, of how much Harry wants to set him free; he sees the passion they _both_ have for each other. He can see all about it, and as much as he wants to tell Harry that the feeling’s always been mutual, he’s still terrified.

“I — ” Louis begins, dropping his gaze, “I have to process this.”

Harry chews his lips. There is a hint of disappointment flickering across his eyes. But nevertheless, he respects Louis and leans back. “Okay, I'll give you all the time you need in the world.”

Louis just nods silently. Harry can’t help but to take note of the flare of faint blush that pops up his cheeks, so he can’t resist himself but to brush a gentle thumb across the high cheekbones. He murmurs slowly, “Lou, c’mon, we can make it as easy as possible. We could come up with the right questions. We just have to push all the right buttons, it would only last a few minutes. There’ll be guards. He can't get to you. You don't even have to look at him directly. And _I'll_ be there, I’ll be there outside the whole time. Not going anywhere. At all. Think about it, m’kay?”

Louis lets himself to slightly cuddle into the Dom given the tight closure between them. He sighs heavily through his nose, “Give me a day or so.”

The warden nods and hums, he takes a step back, feeling that he should leave Louis alone to think. “So, bye Louis, see you later.” He turns around, starting to leave. But as he takes a step forward, he hears a voice calling his name. His _actual_ name.

“Harry.” Louis croaks.

Harry turns back around, raising an eyebrow. Louis jumps up from the bed, and leaps forward to land himself between Harry’s arms, against his beating heart, nuzzling into his chest.

“ _I trust you._ ”

And hearing those words, is almost equivalent to hearing an “ _I love you_ ” to the young warden.

  
  


 

The next day, early as 8am, there is a knock on the door to Louis’ cell. Followed by Harry’s voice, “Hey Louis, it’s me, can I come in?”

Once Harry hears a faint “yes” coming from inside the room, he turns the doorknob and walks in. Louis is sitting up on the bed, knees pulled up to his chest and his chin rested on them, looking out at the barred window. A thin blanket is draped across his shoulders to shield him from the cool morning weather.

Harry stands admiring his soft face from the side, the way his fluffy fringe curls around the ever-sharp cheekbones, and the way his long eyelashes fan across said cheekbones when he blinks. Harry walks near the boy, just as Louis tears his gaze from the outside back onto the warden. A soft smile is seen on his lips. “Hey, sir. Um, why are you in my room again?”

Harry shrugs casually, pointing at the space besides Louis, “Sorta just wanna come see you. Can I sit here?”

“Sure,” Louis collects the blankets back onto himself to free some space for Harry, pulling out a sweater paw from his cocoon to rub his nose. Harry pulls his both hands from his leather jacket pocket and sits down next to Louis, just as the Sub turns around to sit cross-legged instead.

Snuggling into himself, Louis faces Harry, clearing his throat, “I know what you’re really coming here for. And I already have the answer to your question.”

“Oh, really now? Does that mean you know me really well, or my hidden intention is just too obvious?” Harry smirks down at him.

Louis fakes a smug shrug, gesturing to his head, voice filled with sarcasm, “Eh, it’s just my sharp wits.” Then he rolls his eyes, “Gosh, sir, you’re so obvious.”

Harry just chuckles, looking at the lad fondly. “So…” He trails off, “You have the answer already? Assuming you guessed right on what I was about to ask. That’s so soon though, you sure you don’t need more time? There’s no rush, well, not much at least.”

“No, I already had the answer. I reckon I should agree to meeting him.” Louis looks down at his lap, “And we should do it before I chicken out.”

Although Harry had an inkling that Louis would agree, given his reaction before Harry left his room the day before, he is still slightly surprised. “Okay. But what makes you decide so quickly?”

This time Louis lifts up his eyes to look at the Dom, and says quietly, “ ‘Cause I know you’d only want what’s best for me.”

Harry grins genuinely, wrapping an arm around Louis’ shoulder. He leans down and presses a soft kiss against Louis’ temple. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Louis bites down at his bottom lip and smiles shyly to himself. He stays cuddled into Harry’s side, looking up at the man, “Uh, Officer...Should - should we, like, talk about this? I mean. _Us_?”

Harry looks at him silently, blinking and not saying anything. Then he breathes out, “Yeah, right, we need to. We could wait until this mess ends to seriously discuss about us, so that way it’d be easier for you. But I just wanna say one thing is that I meant every single word I told you last night.”

“I know.” Louis replies in the same tone, “...I need time to think this through too. I’m still very confused. I don’t really know how I feel.”

“It’s okay,” Harry rubs up and down his side, “Like I said, take all the time you need. At the moment we should focus on more urgent stuff first.”

Louis hums, agreeing. He scoots closer, then gingerly lays his head against Harry’s shoulder, their position making it feel natural and comfortable. He hears Harry’s breath hitches slightly, but the man doesn’t move nor push Louis away, instead he relaxes after a beat and squeezes Louis’ side.

“So...You’re okay with being intimate to me?” Harry asks after a moment of peaceful silence, he just guessed, based on how the Sub is behaving.

“Yeah,” Louis replies coyly, “I mean, it’s pretty clear that I feel something more when I’m with you. I just have to figure out the rest.”

“Good,” Harry simply says, even though his heart is bursting with joy that it’s certain Louis likes him a bit, “You’re adorable, y’know.” He looks down at the small lad leaning into him, he looks even tinier wrapped in a blanket. Harry momentarily wonders how

“Well, since you’ve agreed to meeting him, why don’t we start planning right away? I’ll tell the guys to meet us right now.”

“Okay. I just want this to be over as soon as possible.”

Louis waits as Harry calls his colleagues and tells them to go to one of the conference rooms in the Submissive wing, himself unraveling from the blankets to fold them neatly at the end of the bed. Harry soon ends the call and, hesitantly, holds out a hand for Louis to take. Louis happily places his own palm into Harry’s and gracefully lets the Dom pulls him up from the bed.

 

*

  


They walk to the cell door and exits the room. Harry squeezes the dainty hand in his then releases it, only to put his arms around Louis’ waist in a protective manner as they walk down the corridor.

They soon reaches the meeting room as Zayn jogs up to them, carrying a clipboard in his arms. He takes his keys out and unlock the door. The three of them pulls up some chairs around a table when the rest of the officers begin to pile in. Louis sits down next to Harry, Niall takes the empty seat next to Louis, while Zayn and Officer Lucas sit across them.

Harry places his hand atop Louis’ folded ones on his lap under the table, eyes greeting with his friends. Zayn starts to speak, pulling out a pen from his pocket, “So let’s start. I’ll jot down our questions. Our goal is to carefully provoke our target then while he is worked up lead him to expose himself.”

Louis giggles quietly at the word “target”. Harry notices and starts rubbing circles into the back of Louis’ hands with the pad of his thumb.

“So, ready, Louis?” Niall asks next to him. Louis nods reluctantly. Niall nods as well, clearing his throat, “Is there anything that would definitely anger him if you do it?”

Harry squeezes his hands as Louis takes a deep breath, before hesitating out, “He...usually like a good challenge. He likes it even if I disrespect him or fight against him, he thinks it just adds to the fun. But he hates it when I think I can get away, or when I talk too much or when I, like, don’t care about what he’s doing on me.”

Zayn scribbles down something onto his notepad, making an affirmative sound, “So it seems he likes attention and doesn’t like it when you disregard his powers, right?...Hmm, that’s a good start. We can do a lot to make him angry.”

“Why do we have to make him angry?” Louis quips, chewing the inside of his lips.

“Well, if he’s riled up, he’ll be less cautious. When he’s less cautious he’ll be more likely to slip up about what he’d do to you, or even what he has done to you before. And it’ll only be the truth, it’s unlikely for him to lie.” Officer Lucas explains. Louis nods, understanding.

“What else would make him lose his temper?” Harry prompts.

Louis shrugs, “He’s always very calm and cautious. It’s much easier to distract him then make him act out. Usually I’d try to make it seems like he can’t hurt me in any way, but when he’s got me shoved against a wall I’d just pretend to go along with him, and then he’ll start fantasizing, and while he’s distracted that’s when I get him off m-me.” He quietly, panting a little afterwards. The memories feel far away from him, it feels so surreal now that he’s calmly recalling them instead of living in them.

“That works as well.” Officer Lucas smiles at him reassuringly, agreeing.

“Yeah, like, if we get him pissed and distracted at the same time, he’ll sure spill everything.” Niall adds.

“Instead of planning out what you should say, how about we give you a well-hidden earpiece, Lou, so we can give you instructions depending on the situation?” Harry suggests.

“Sure.” “Yeah.” They all agree in union.

“Just keep in mind what our general direction is.” Zayn reminds conclusively, “And... Is there anything else you'd like to ask him, Lou?”

Louis contemplates for a while. “I actually want to know why he wants to visit me.” He says shyly.

“That's fine. So ask that too.” Harry says, looking around the room. “Well, that seems about it. Is there anything we'd like to add, guys?”

The officers all look at each other before shaking their heads at Harry's question.

Zayn writes down something more onto his notes then pulls out his phone to take a picture of it, while speaking, “So basically, Louis, you just have try your best to stay calm, do not show him any emotions, and keep pushing him until we get what we need. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the whole process and there will be guards around you all time. So if you really cannot carrying or if he is causing you any harm, just call for us and we’ll be there in less than a second.” He finishes, nodding to himself, before looking up to meet Louis’ gaze, “Is that okay with you?”

Louis nods, replying with a soft ‘yeah’, then asking, “When is he coming?”

“Should be three days later. You’d better start preparing yourself.” Officer Lucas tells him kindly.

“So that’s it, yeah?” Niall says to the group, then turning to Louis and gives the latter a sincere grin, “Mate, thank you so much for agreeing to this. We know it is pushing you to your limits. But we wouldn’t ask you to this if we can’t make sure you’ll be safe.”

Louis only smiles back and mumbles out a quiet thanks, not knowing what to say. He looks around the room, at all the faces of people who supports him. He’s ever so thankful for every single one of  them, especially Harry, they’ve made him feel the safest he’s ever been all his life.

Harry pulls him closer by the shoulders, then leans in, pressing a lingered peck to his forehead. “You're doing great.” He praises soothingly.

A dark tint rises up Louis' cheeks, as Harry looks away, fond evident in his eyes. Zayn raises his eyebrows at the interaction, and Niall smirks knowingly. Harry gives his friends a smug smile, while Louis is still blushing obliviously.


	18. Solace (Part 2.14)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  These days have been really stressful for me because i'm trying to maintain a good balance between study, personal growth/health and personal projects like writing fics. It's truthfully very scary and heavy, plus i'm those annoying writers who could only write under a certain mood, so every update is like a whole month apart. So massive thanks to those of you lovely ones who never forget about this and stay with me, ik it's hard. 
> 
> This chapter is such pain (payne) in the ass to write but it's so worth it :)

“Ready?” Harry asks under a whisper, as he leads Louis up to the room where he will be meeting Blue Jones, as known as The Nightmare of A Dom. Multiple guards are lining up  along the door neatly, a blank expression on their faces but greet the officers politely upon seeing them. It's not time yet, but they have to get everything ready and spare some for Louis to prepare himself.

Peering into the room through the small window is a simple bench table, two chairs on each side. There are two doors on opposite sides, one made for inmates and another for the entrance of visitors.

Hearing no reply, Harry turns to a fidgety Louis who is hiding behind him, looking into the room with his raw-bitten bottom lip caught between his teeth, a hesitant look evident on his face.

Harry smiles at him with sympathy, as he could only imagine how terrified the poor Sub must feel right now, he almost feel sorry for having to put him through this. So Harry turns back to his team, namely Zayn, Niall and Lucas, calling out, “Lads? Could you give us a moment?” He doesn't even wait for a reply before pulling Louis with him to a side.

Harry faces Louis, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He has to lean down slightly to look Louis in the eyes, “Relax, doll, it'll only be a few minutes. We won't let anything bad happen to you.” He comforts.

Louis peeks up at him through his lashes with wide blue innocent eyes, his voice small, “But I keep having a feeling that something will happen.”

Harry sighs, reaching up to ghost his thumb over the sharp cheekbones. He rubs at the smooth skin there, speaking quietly, “I can't promise you anything, but I can assure you we will put all we have to keep you the safest. If you need us, we’ll come to you in less than a second.”

“Okay.” Louis pouts a little, frowning but he knows he got to do what he has to. And to be honest, that makes him look even cuter than he already is, to which Harry finds incredibly endearing.

“You're sure you want to meet him, right?” Harry asks, for a final check, in response Louis nods with determination, “Good. Now let’s go. It's impolite to keep people waiting.”

They walk back to where the other officers are waiting for them, just as Zayn finishes up giving the guards some instructions. He fishes out a big chain of keys from his pocket, using one of them to unlock the door to the meeting room. He pushes open the door, standing aside only to look at Louis expectantly. He makes a gesture by extending his arms, “Well. What are we waiting for, c’mon in.”

Louis turns to Harry and shrugs, walking into the room. The others soon pile in as well. Niall hands him a small object shaped like a pen then helps him clip it into his shirt, in a well-hidden position so as not to be easily discovered. “This is the recorder, whatever you two say will be taped. You don't have to switch it on as it is already on,” He explains, sliding another similar object into the pocket of Louis’ pants, “This is for backup, in case anything happens, though that's the last thing I wish.”

Zayn, who is standing on his other side, points to two black cameras mounted on opposite corners in the room, “Those are the CCTVs. There are hardly any blind spots in the room so you wouldn't have to worry.”

Harry leads Louis over to the wall by the wrists and places their joined hands on it, above a small round red button. “And this one is the panic button, press it when – No, don't press it now! – when you feel like you're in danger or to call for help. We will receive the alert immediately from right outside the door and come in at once.”

Louis nods as he listens to Harry explains, “Will you guys come in only if I press the button?”

“Well, we could, if you want. But in case you can’t reach the button just yet, look into the camera and nod, alright?”

“Sure.” Louis promises, he then releases Harry’s hand to wrap his own arms around his torso, gulping, “When is he coming?”

Harry flips up his sleeves to glance at the Rolex on his wrist, replying, “Should be in 15 minutes or so.” Louis nods silently.

Niall walks over to the couple and hands Harry and Louis each an earpiece, letting them put it in place into their ears. Louis fixes his hair, which has grown long enough, to cover his ear in order to conceal the trace of the object. Niall reaches behind him for the hood at the back of his jacket and pulls it up over Louis’ head, petting his cloth-clad hair afterwards, grinning, “Great!” He turns to Harry, “We are going over the other room to set things up.”

So Niall walks back to his colleagues, heading out of the room. Putting his arms up in the air, he exclaims, “Gosh, this feels so much like an operation! I’ve never been in one before.”

Zayn rolls his eyes, fondly, over his Sub. He says in his ever-calm tone, “Ni, don’t be silly.” Niall pretends he heard nothing and then proceeds to skip out of the room, his own Dom and Officer Lucas following behind.

Louis, on the side, watches as the scene unfolds while chuckling to himself. He finds it nearly impossible for the Sub officer to be so cheery even in such a serious and tension-filled atmosphere. _Must be the Irishness_ , he guesses. But good thing is that it calms him down a bit.

As the rest of the officers exits the room, Harry pulls Louis into his chest, wrapping an arm around the slim waist of the Sub. His hands rest at the bottom of Louis’ spine, right above the bubble butt. He feels it as Louis begins sniffing at his collarbone naturally, where his face conveniently lands such that Harry’s lips would touch right at the top of his head if he only looks down.

“I’m here for you. We’re in this together, yeah?” Harry murmurs with a low timber in his voice.

Louis tilts his head up, catching his breath when he sees how close Harry’s face and his own are, just mere inches apart. He slides his palm up between his and Harry’s bodies, steadying himself because he knows he’ll either jump away or lean in, there is no in between.

“Nice cologne.” He compliments after a beat. Although there is a hint of smirk lingering on his lips, Harry could tell the shakiness in his voice.

Just then, Zayn pokes his head into the room, “Alright, lovebirds. Let go of him, Harry, it’s almost time.”

Harry leans down to Louis’ ear level and whispers, “Good luck.” He holds Louis’ hands in his and squeezes, giving him a warm smile, before following Zayn out of the room.

Louis sighs through his nose. He walks towards the chair on one side and sits down, resting his elbows on the table and puts his face inside his palm, inhaling deeply. He is fidgeting, he knows, and he has complete reasons to. He just wishes he could come off as carefree in front of his old Dom.

 _“Testing. 1. 2. 3. Wave into the camera if you hear me.”_ There’s Niall’s bubbly voice in his earpiece. And Louis turns around to wave two finger at the camera on the ceiling in the corner, and stops a moment later because it’s a too cheery thing to do in a serious moment like this.

 _“Alright, we see you.”_ Niall tells him.

 _“You feeling alright, darling?”_ Harry asks through the channel

“Yes.” Louis says shakily, though confidently.

 _“Are we ready, lads?”_ Niall says, and Louis hears the union of murmurs of affirmation. _“Best of luck, Lou.”_ Niall says, before Louis hears a knock on the door in front of him.

Louis jumps slightly but calms himself down immediately. A guard opens the door with a visitor’s pass held in his hands, then flickers a glance towards the Sub. “Louis Tomlinson, yes?” He asks boredly.

Louis nods fervently, the guard then grunts in response and pushes the door open wider. “You have a visitor.” He throws down curtly, fading from the crack of the ajar door.

Louis hears footsteps before he sees the person. He gulps heavily, as recognition rings in his head. He’d know those footsteps anywhere. His Dom has his own way of walking, clamping his foot down to the ground, each step with unmoving authority. Anxiety and anticipation grows with each step closer.

 

***

  


“It’s been a hell of a long time, eh?” The man asks, eyeing Louis up and down with a hunger in his eyes and smirk playing on his lips, as he sits down from across Louis. He did it with a plop, as if he carries his puff of arrogancy with him into the small room, filling up the atmosphere around. Louis could almost see how he would hang his elbows on the edge of the table and spread his legs wide apart, as he always used to do.

Louis wouldn’t dare look at him right in the eye. He senses a rise of tension in the room, and he feels so much exposed now, with just a table to separate the two of them. An abuser and one of his many victims. Louis almost feels faint now.

“Yeah, I mean, how’s your head?” Louis clears his throat, deciding to go with his usual provoking ways.

“Haven’t dropped the sass, have you?” Louis glances up and shrugs, as the man drinks from a can of beer in his hands, “Thought prison taught you well.”

Louis doesn’t reply. He’s shaking underneath, but he forces himself to calm and forces himself to think.

“So, how’s the prison life going?” The man says smugly, as if he is proud of himself and how he threw Louis in prison. Though, it’s not like Louis is not grateful for it. Things turned out way better than he has even imagined, really.

So Louis gives another one-shoulder shrug, while hoping his attitude won’t anger Blue Jones just yet. “Well, as a matter of fact, I’ve never been better before. Since any prison in the world is better than your place.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s quite a disrespectful thing to say to me.” Blue Jones remains his calm tone, as if the two of them are playing a game of banter instead of pushing each other back and forth, like waiting for a ticking bomb to burst.

“Well you don’t own me anymore now. Plus it is the truth.” Louis looks right at him and states with confidence. He doesn’t feel what they are talking about, as if it’s about something that happened to somebody else.

 _“Prompt him.”_ Niall instructs from the other room.

“I think all the other Subs you lock up in your place would think the same too.” Louis adds strategically.

“How so?” Blue Jones falls into the trap cluelessly.

“We both know what you do to them, to us.”

“I don’t see a problem in what I do.” (However, this is exactly where the problem is.) “A Dom has all the rights to use his Subs however he wants, any ways he wants. They’re just a toy to me, means nothing but a fuck-hole and dirt that you can throw around and sell if you get tired of. I can beat them blue and black if I want, because I’m their Dom and Subs are nothing but property to me.” He finishes with a smug look, side-eyeing Louis. “What, you have a say in that? You’re not a Dom, I am.”

“You’re not a Dom. You’re an abuser.” Louis shakes his head, correcting the man.

Blue lets out a merciless snort, “I don’t care. None of you have the guts to report me. _And_ ,” He adds, like he is telling a secret, “they can’t get out anyways.”

 _“Mention his auction business.”_ Louis hears in his ears.

He shifts in his seat, smoothing over his hoodie, acting natural when his brain is wiring for words to say. Blue Jones isn’t looking at him, he’s observing the room idly leaning back to his seat. Louis licks his lips, and begins, “I never understood why you never let me go. All the other Subs, you sell them away after a few months.”

Blue Jones finishes the beer in his hands, dropping it down carelessly on the table. “I grew tired of them.” He states dismissively with a shrug, and suddenly turns back to Louis, leaning forward until Louis feels his aura attacking. He could see the familiar evil light back in that gaze. “But _you_ , you are a challenge. I like a good challenge.”

“So I’m there for two years.” Louis feels his anger grows. “And I bet even longer if I hadn’t hit you in the head that day. Or maybe not, maybe you would’ve beaten me to death that very day if i didn’t stop you.” He spits out.

Blue Jones just smiles at him amusedly, “Oh I wouldn't do that. Can't make any money off a corpse.

 _“Lead him on, Lou.”_ He hears Zayn’s voice.

“And how much money would I have made, if you’d sold me?” Louis follows through.

Blue Jones narrows his eyes at Louis. Louis’ heart leaps into his throat for a moment — Did he sound too obvious? — he chews the insides of his cheeks.

“Why? I didn’t know you’re interested.”

“I just wanna know how much money you lost.” Louis quickly amends, putting on a challenging tone.

Blues Jones grunts in irritant. Louis releases a breath he didn’t know he’s holding in. “The average should be around £50000, but you…” The man makes an annoying thinking face (everything he does disgusts Louis), tapping the side of his jaw, “I’ll offer a double, or maybe triple,” He smirks down at Louis, “ ‘cause you’re a _pretty boy_.”

Louis tries not to flinch at the nickname as his eyes widen slightly at the price. He never thought he would’ve costed that much. “Oh yeah?” He replies mechanically.

The Dom doesn’t catch on that: he is still deep in his own world. “Yeah. I could just imagine the look on all those Dom’s faces if they see you. Y’know, you’re one of my prized Subs, many has wanted you just from the way I told them about you.” He smiles to himself madly, in his own world of sick fantasy.

“What has you told them about me?”

Blue Jones replies easily, “I just told them about how great your ass looks, especially when it would be split open. And what a struggle you put up, I told them how I knock you out to silence you. And how I’d starved you until you give in to me. It’s a good game to play with you.” He pauses, “But mostly, I just tell them about the auction house, just spend some money and then you,” He snaps his fingers once, “get some.”

“Why would they want your Subs, though? Why force someone to be with you when you two would hate each other?” Louis objects passionately.

“Who knows? If you think we’d waste our time on those things so-called ‘love’,” Blue puts finger quotes in the air, “ to just get in someone’s pants, that’s too naive. What a hassle.” He rolls his eyes, then flashes a smirk towards Louis, that dirty, utterly malicious face he has on when he used to inch closer to a tied-up Louis in their old house. “Even though I didn’t get you by buying you, you’re still a joy.”

Louis’ had enough of Blue Jones talking about him like trash, so he tries to change the subject, “So I’m just a what, a challenge as you call it? So when a challenge is basically terrified of you and rejects you, do you still go on? That’s not called a challenge anymore, that’s called you should take the hint and stop hurting people.”

“Subs should be terrified of me.” Blue states matter-of-factly, “Ironically though, I remember you were quite fond of me at the beginning.”

Louis huffs and rolls his eyes, “That’s before you show who you truly are and before I still got the chance to escape. I didn’t want you anymore, which is because _you_ changed. No one’s playing hard to get here. Gosh, you sound so much like a rapist.” He then fakes a gasp, “Wait, you already are one.”

“It’s not raping,” Blue snaps, “because I _own_ your bodies and I’m allowed to do whatever I want with it. You have no rights to refuse. And if it’s really rape, who cares. I mean,” He sends Louis a smug look, “look _who_ is in prison right now.”

 _“Well, that’s quite a brave thing to say while being surrounded by officers. Push him harder, Louis.”_ Zayn told him in his ears, Louis almost smirked, as he follows the instruction.

“So that means you can do whatever you want to me? Even if I say ‘No’ and don’t want it?” Louis asks.

“Yes.” Blue almost answers immediately, as if it is the clearest truth in the world.

“Even if I safeword? Even if I scream ‘red’ into the night?”

“Especially.”

“Ahh, I see it now.”

Blue Jones speaks up then, apparently getting annoyed at all the questions directed to him. Louis has always been a rebel, but he was not nosy. “We’re getting out of topic, boy. That’s not what I wanted to do with you today, just talking about me.”

Louis swallows thickly, deciding to agree with the man. “Right, I was just about to ask you why you decided to visit me all of a sudden.”

Blue Jones chuckles amusedly to himself, but the sound is pure evil to Louis, and everyone else listening in. “And that’s just what on my mind! To be honest, I miss your body. I have missed you, even if you did this to me.” He taps his head, at the spot where Louis has hit all those months ago, as a reminder, “I don’t miss the others, but you’re different. They’d all given up, but you’re still fighting against me.”

Louis scoffs, “Is that a compliment I heard?” He says, voice filled to the brim with sarcasm.

Blue Jones’ face grow gloomy within a second, as his eyebrows shoot up and his eyes focus in on Louis, gaze piercing through skins, and his jaws tighten. “I’d suggest watching your mouth, bitch. I don’t want to deal with your fights today.

 _“Ask him what he had done to you before. Just hang on for some more, love. It’ll be over soon.”_ Harry’s calming voice enters his ears. Louis almost melts at the nickname he used, but he slips his small hands under the table to grip at the corner of his sleeves, attempting to contain himself the best.

“And what would you have done to me?” He inhales deeply and asks, because Blue would love if they talk about it.

A smirk forms on Blue’s lips, promptly. _He is really easily tricked_ , Louis thinks, _too bad he’s got some sensible guards or I could’ve got away ages before._ “Slap you good, first thing. Then maybe bend you over this table and fuck you till you black out.”

Louis hums, “Like before?”

“Yes, exactly.” The man grins manically, “But maybe not without messing up your back first, it looks too good to me. And I’ll fuck you till you bleed all over the place, instead.”

“Yeah, mess up my back, like how?

The man tuts, shaking his head, “Don’t tell me you forgot, or are you getting into this now? Well, a cane would do the job, if not, a hot knife. I’ll ask the cook to do it for me, or rather not, he never listened to me anyways. I’ll mark you when you scream, and beat you till you cry. I would devour you." He grins sickeningly.

“Oh, but I’d have coloured out a long time ago.” Louis reminds him.

Blue barks out a loud laugh, completely dismissing what Louis said. “Never affects me, you know that. I like to hear you say ‘red’, because you’ll then know how helpless you are, then you’ll know how your whole existence belongs to me.”

“I doubt you even hear how ridiculous yourself sound sometimes. That is complete bullshit. I’ll never give in to you.” Louis chortles bravely, knowing that he saying this would definitely rile the man up. He almost loves that he has the freedom to do it now.

Louis watches as the man takes in a sharp breath, his eyes flashing murder as expected. He doesn’t like knowing his Subs are not scared of him, he likes the feeling of being above everyone. “Shut up right now, or I’ll hit you.” He practically growls.

If in the past, Louis would’ve shut up or started shielding himself from the impact of a hit. But there’s no way he’s backing down now. “Oh, but I don’t have to listen to you. Because you’re not my Dom anymore. You don’t own me. And you’re just an abuser.”

Blue Jones’ right hand leaves the table. And Louis knows where that is going: to the air. With only a table to separate the two of them, Louis could only hope the Dom wouldn’t really dare do it, with officers present. He scoots his chair back.

“What, isn’t that the truth? You’ll be punished for what you did. To me. To others.” He managed to rush out before the man could touch him.

A ear-splitting sound fills the small room, followed by a sharp pain blooming on Louis’ left cheek. Louis gasps loudly from the blow of it, jerking back as the back of his chair hit the wall behind him. But he makes no sound and he doesn’t dare show his weakness, instead only looks on ahead, founding Jones’ fiery glare staring back at him. He hopes the slap didn’t draw blood.

There are multiple gasps through the earpiece as well. Niall’s voice breaks out among the mass of noise. _“Say ‘red’, Louis. Say ‘red’ now!”_

 _“Fuck. What happened?”_ He hears Harry’s super concerned voice.

Louis flicks a glance towards the red button above him, on the wall. His fingers itch to press it, but he knows better to wait for a bit more.

 _“You guys, calm down. He’s fine.”_ Officer Lucas says quickly, so the two Doms outside from don’t burst into the room. _“Louis, move somewhere so the tape could see you clearly.”_

At the same time, Blue Jones begins to get up from his seat, trudging towards Louis. Louis stands up as well, shuffling himself back to a corner (diagonally across from a camera) and braces himself. Blue Jones’ height comes towering over him.

“Can’t admit it, am I right? I hope what you did come back to haunt you while you rot away in prison.” Louis challenges, finishes with a grin on his face. That will sure get something out of the monster.

“Look who’s talking now, inmate.” Blue Jones hisses, placing his palm on the wall next to Louis’ head, another hand reaching around his waist, then close, dangerously close to his bum area. “Shut the fuck up.”

 _“Jesus, say ‘red’ right now!”_ Niall commands, disgust evident in his voice.

“Don’t touch me.” Louis snaps with absolute distaste, snatching Blue’s hand from behind himself and pushes the stronger man away, but to no avail when the man just swiftly shoves him back, “Stop it now! _Red!_ ”

“I don’t think so.” Blue’s tone is laced with menace, dripping with his own twisted joy, “No one can help you now, _pretty boy,_ other than me.”

“No! Get away from me, you monster. _Red!_ ” Louis shoves him by the shoulder, while pressing himself up against the wall so the man can’t touch his behind. “I never said I want you.”

“You didn’t say it, but I know it.” The man smirks at him, eyes glinting with hunger. He trails a finger down the side of Louis’ jaw, Louis jerks his head back

“Maybe ‘no’ means nothing to you, but ‘red’ means everything.” Louis struggles against the strong hold, trying to get the arms off, “Jeez, fuck off, you rapist. _Red_.”

“Yes, I’m a rapist. So? You have no say in this.”

Louis screams out as Blue Jones grinds his front into Louis’. Louis clenches his teeth and flicks a glance at the camera. He wants more to caught on tape after he colours out. So there could be enough evidence. He must not stop now.

 _“Lou! Do you need us to come in? Signal the camera!”_ Harry basically yells into the mic. Louis winces from the buzz in his ears, but luckily Blue Jones seems to think he’s wincing from him. Louis could only imagine how restless Harry is now, like a hairy lion cub trying but failing to catch its prey.

 _“Harry, chill! Or they will hear us.”_ Zayn whisper-scolds right after.

“Then you must’ve not heard me.” Louis looks up at the CCTV in the corner. The accidental exposure of his neck gives Blue access to it, Louis shudders as he feels a mouth of beard comes in contact with his skin, sucking at it noisily. “ _Red!_ Help Me!” He shouts louder than he needs to. He places his palms on Blue’s shoulders strategically, as the man moves down cluelessly to the base of his neck. While the man is distracted, Louis quickly looks into the camera and mouths “ _Not yet_ ”.

 _“Guys he says not yet.”_ Niall informs everyone.

 _“Oh god.”_ Harry groans, voice pained. _“It kills me to just hear the talking but not see what’s happening.”_

 _“But if you’re in the control room then you can’t do your heroic move to swoop in and end the bad guy. You have the most muscles here.”_ Zayn counters.

Blue glances up, licking his lips and moaning greedily. He raises an eyebrow when he sees Louis eyeing the camera. “Don’t think about that too. I’d destroy the tapes right after this, I’ve got enough money. You should’ve known better than to come see me.”

_“Yeah that’s because I happen to work out, unless you guys who never tag along.”_

_“I don’t have to fight Doms.”_ Zayn replies dully.

 _“Lads are we not supposed to chit chat while focusing here?”_ Officer Lucas points out.

 _“Yeah but we’re also prison guards doing more than what we’re supposed to.”_ Zayn’s voice says.

Louis would giggle at their conversation, if he’s not currently stuck in a nerve-wracking situation like this. He could tell the officers are all chill and naturally friendly guys.

 _“Well I’d rather do it ourselves than wait for someone else.”_ Harry concludes, then asking, “ _Are things going alright?”_

 _“Looks fine right now, to me.”_ Niall reports.

Just then, Louis catches an opportunity where Blue Jones has his grip loosened on him. He pushes the heavy body away with all his might. “Where’s your conscience?” He accuses angrily.

Louis succeeds pushing him away then runs to the middle of the room, but he isn’t free for too long until the Dom leaps towards him, pushing him towards the table. Louis crashes into a chair and falls on top of the table, hitting his elbow on a corner so he cries out in mild pain. Fear arises in his throat. He gulps thickly.

_“Oh! There’s the climax. Harry, Zayn, I think you have to get ready.”_

“ _Red!_ Please don’t do this.” Louis shouts, though, when Blue Jones comes behind him and pushes pushes him down by pressing his back.

 _“Zayn, help me signal the guards.”_ Harry’s voice called out.

“This is what you damn deserves.” Blue yells, “I came here to finish what I didn’t get to, which is to fuck you to death. Key point: death. You should thank me since I let you die when cumming. Do you remember the knife I just mentioned?”

Louis’ eyes widen. Fuck, he’s in graver danger than he thought. No wonder Blue wasn’t as worst as he has expected. Blue has other plans.

He feels a rough hand reaching for the waistband of his pants and attempts to pull it off, so by instinct he kicks back and screams, “ _Red!_ Don’t do this to me.”

He squirms under the strong grip as his legs kick violently in every direction. His feet seems to hit something soft and he hears the man above him emits a low, pained groan. Louis tries looking back to aims his feet in the same spot, kicking as hard as he could. Blue grunts as he doubles over. Using the man’s pain as a distraction, Louis wastes no time to slip out from his hold, diving away.

He jumps towards the wall, practically flying to it. His fingertips barely hit the button, as he is pulled by the hood behind his jacket and thrown to the ground. His side slams into the hard, concrete floor. Tears sting the back of his eye, but he bites his lips and wills himself not to blackout. The man is coming for him. He scrambles away, whimpering.  


Then the door slams open, and Harry comes rushing in. Multiple guards follow right after him, but all Louis sees is Harry. He sees his bewildered green eyes relax in relief upon seeing Louis majorly safe on the ground and he sees his worried green eyes soften as they land on his own frightened ones. And then he sees his eyes, and his whole face too fill up with fury as he focuses in on the man hovering above Louis.

Harry takes three stomps over them and pushes the man off Louis, immediately tackling him to the ground. But the man is strong and he fights against Harry’s hold, successfully escaping from his grasp, a crazed look in his eyes as he crawls back towards Louis.

Harry leaps forward to pull at the man by the belt, pressing his front against Blue Jones’ back to hoist him down. He shouts at one of the random guards in the room, who is standing frozen, “Get him away!” He motions to Louis. Out of the corner of his eyes, said guard hurries to pull an equally shocked Louis to a corner, so Harry turns his attention back to the Dom beneath him.

Blue Jones is trying to reach for the leg of a chair from underneath Harry, so Harry knocks his hands away quickly and flips him over in a swift motion, yelling at him to keep still. He tries to silence him by sending him one of his infamous glares but the man still struggles, yelling out profanities towards Louis on the other side of the room.

Harry pushes him down by the shoulder with one hand and another hand reaching behind for a pair of handcuffs, mentally patting himself on the back for all those time he spent in the gym is finally paying off. He lays his right knee across Blue’s private area as the man growls at him.

“Silence!” Harry barks back, putting pressure beneath his knee, “You are under arrest for attacking an inmate.”

“The slut is mine!” Blue Jones screams back.

Harry’s blood boils with anger and hatred. In that moment, he sees red. He sees a monster who not only physically abuses his Subs, but mentally abuses them as well. He sees a sick man who sucks the life out of an beautiful Sub. Harry raises a fist and punches the man square on the mouth.

“ _Louis_ , was never yours.” Harry hisses out, watching as blood trickle down Blue’s split lip. He lifts his arms again, ready to deliver the second blow. He feels like he could yell at the man for forever yet it could never measure up to the amount of hurt he has given Louis. _Louis_ , Harry’s chest aches again as he thinks of the poor Sub.

He is ready to strike. And that is, until a hand grabs his arm and a familiar voice calls out his name. “Harry,” Zayn stops him, speaking in a warning tone, “That’s enough, or the fault will be on you. Go to your boy, he looks like he’s gonna be sick. We’ll take care of scumbag here.”

Harry heaves a deep sigh, knowing his friend is right. Back up rushes in a second later, and a few guards fix Blue Jones to the ground, quickly handcuffing him despite the yells of protest and colourful words. Harry stands up, neglecting the throb in his knuckles, and tries giving Zayn a smile though he is sure which looks more like a grimace, “Thanks, man. Put him in whatever cell.”

Then he sprints to Louis, who is curling up next to a corner, regarding him with a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Harry dismisses the guard next to them and takes his place, crouching down to Louis’ level then sits next to him.

His eyes roam urgently over Louis’ face in search of any injuries or bruises, which his heartbeat slows when he sees none noticeable ones. He uses the back of his uninjured hand to caress Louis’ pale cheeks. “Fuck. Are you okay?”

Louis shakily nods, wordlessly. Harry breathes out in relief, but gasps again not a second later, “Wait, did you hit your head? No concussions, right?”

“I don’t think so. I just hit my side and my elbow a bit. But I’m fine, I-I guess.” Louis stutters and bites his lips.

“Good. We’re taking you to Paul right away. He’ll take a good look at you.” Harry looks at Louis, who still looks a bit spacey and dazed, swallowing thick, “Did I — Did you scare you there just now?”

“No, you didn’t. You were just fighting him off me. _He_ scared me more.” Louis replies quietly, looking up at Harry with terror in his voice. He looks as timid and small, just as the first time Harry has seen him in the prison. Heart sinking to his stomach, Harry picks up his hand and holds it in his, stroking it tenderly. They sit briefly in silence.

“Oh my god,” Louis suddenly chokes out, as if the facts are just registering with him, “He t-touched me! And I let him!” He exclaims, gasping in shock like he is disgusted with himself. His eyes water immediately.

Harry quickly swoops him into his own lap right before the first tears come. It is as if a dam has just broken in Louis and the waterworks won’t stop afterwards. Louis wails, collapsing against Harry’s broad chest naturally and grips so tightly at the man’s uniform that his knuckles turn white. Harry holds him in place with one arm and uses his other palm to rub big circles into his trembling back.

Louis continues to cry out what he realizes has just happened. “His hands are all over me - oh god - H-He _hurts_ me. Again! I feel his breath, and his mouth, they’re — ” He chokes and hiccups, “fuck he’s not supposed to — but I let him! I still feel him, I _feel_ him — ”

Harry rushes to stop him. “Louis you’re safe! He’s not here anymore, we took him away. I’ll never let him near you again.” A pang of pain explodes in Harry’s chest as his heart practically breaks at Louis borderline blaming things on himself, “And you’re not weak! You’re not succumbing to him. You allowed him because you were setting it up as a trap. You’re not going back where you were! ”

“ _Harry._ Harry, I didn’t want it!” Louis weeps, repeating the phrase all over and over again.

Harry tries to calm his distress, “I know, shh I know babe. You led him on and you did a good job. You got all what we need to charge him. He spending the rest of his life behind bars and you’re gonna be free.” He continues genuinely, “You’re gonna laugh in his face because how strong you are. I know you didn’t want it. It kills me too, to hear what he was doing to you.”

Sob. “Fuck, but I still feel him. He’s touching me and it’s burning. He _hurt_ me again,” Louis’ voice breaks on the word, “It’s burning and I — ” His palm suddenly flies to his mouth, whimpers and eyes widened in horror as his face turns paler than it already was.

“Oh shit.” Harry mutters. Louis is going to get sick. Harry instantly leans him to a side so he doesn’t throw up all over himself. Louis proceeds to vomit all over the ground next to him, as Harry attempts to sooth him by patting his back gently.

After a while a retching and dry-heaving, Louis slumps back to Harry’s chest, wiping his mouth with exhaustion taking over his features, tears still rolling down rapidly. Harry thumbs them away. Louis looks better, no longer disgusted, but still largely traumatized.

“Do you wanna walk?” Harry asks, but before Louis could reply he already stands up with Louis hanging onto his hip. He walks out of the room with Louis hiding his face into Harry’s shoulders and hiccuping, gripping on the Dom loosely. Harry keeps on whispering “Shh” and “You’re safe now, love” and all sorts of encouragement into his ear, while hurrying down the corridor.

They pass by Niall on their way down, who is pacing around worriedly. He rushes to the couple the moment he sees them, face crumbling as he listens to Louis letting out quiet sobs. He looks at the Sub in concern, “Oh my, Harry, is he okay? Zayn won’t let me in — ”

“He will be.” Harry replies firmly, “I’m taking him to Paul now. You go help Zayn keep a close eye on, er, _him_.”

Harry continues briskly to the medical room, heart thumping with worry and sorrow for his boy. Paul, the doctor, marches up to them as soon as he spots Harry.

“Is he injured?” Paul asks immediately, rushing with Harry into the room.

“Love, I’m gonna put you down on the bed now, alright?” Harry says to Louis instead, who gives a nod and reluctantly loosens his koala hug on the former. Harry is being extra gentle with the Sub right now, not caring about saying pet names (which he wanted but hasn’t got to do) in front of other officers, for he doesn’t want to trigger Louis any further.

Harry lowers him onto the mattress, patting his head as comfort shortly after. Louis tries hard to calm himself down but the panic and aftershock is still deep in the pit of his stomach. He feels sort of fuzzy and his head hurts while he is only barely aware of the voices around him and the soothing hand touching him. He doesn’t know what else is happening now.

“He doesn’t seem to have hit his head. But his side and elbow are probably bruised. Please take a thorough look at him for me. Something really traumatic just happened.” Harry informs Paul.

A look of surprise and realization dawns on the doctor’s face. He nods earnestly, “I see, Sir. Trust me, he’s in good hands. Leave him with me, I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, mate.” Harry replies sincerely. He bends down to meet Louis’ eyes, “Paul will give you a check up now. He’s a Sub like you, and you’ve met him before. Try relaxing for me and tell him if you’re hurting in anywhere else, yeah?”

Louis sniffs, and whimpers out, “Yes, Sir.”

Harry wipes at his reddened cheek bones with the pad of his thumb, speaking lowly, “Good boy. I’ll be back very, very soon. You’re safe here.” He gives the best smile he could muster.

Despite still trembling with fear and sobs, Louis blushes slightly at the unexpected praise, and a fresh set of tears stream down his face. He doesn’t know why Harry is leaving, but he trusts that he’ll be back to hold him very soon. He hiccups, trying to catch his breath.

Harry’s personal phone rings and he pulls it out, irritated, to look at the contact person. It’s his boss, Officer Butterfield. Harry accepts the call wordlessly, stepping aside. “Sir?”

 _“Officer Styles! I was just wondering, is the deed done?”_ Comes the greeting on the other side of the line.

“Yes, it’s done. I think we got all what we need. I’ll ask the lads to deliver the evidence in person to you as soon as possible. However, I’m not putting Louis through anything like this anymore. I’m regretting it already.” Harry replies curtly, his voice firm and strong.

His boss chuckles awkwardly at Harry’s hard tone, _“Of course, Harry! Good job, son. They asked if you need anyone to help but I told them you’ll handle it just fine. And you did. And I promise, this is the last time.”_

“Thank you for the reassurance, sir.” Harry says, relieved. “Now I gotta go deal with the aftermath. I’ll report again soon.” He ends the call quickly, shoving the phone back into his pockets. He turns back to Paul, patting him on the shoulder.

“Thanks, man. I’ll be back very soon.” He promises, turning around, “And now, I have some matters to take care of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  like? tell me if you don't
> 
> kudos + comments = ~squeeeeee~ author
> 
> :D
> 
> much love xx


	19. Solace (Part 2.15)

Harry takes large strides towards the cells, for he knows that it is where the offenders would be temporarily held. His unfaltering footsteps can be heard ringing off the silence in the corridor. They halt when he reaches one cell, and taking the key that he has, gripped in his palms, Harry unlocks the door to it, stepping in. 

Blue Jones is found leaning against the wall, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, hissing when his finger comes in contact with the split part. The door clicks shut softly, but loud enough for Blue to snap his head up as if expectantly, only to huff in annoyance when he recognizes who it is. He slumps back to the wall. There is not a single ounce of remorse or sorry in his eyes.

“What. Came here to hit me again?” He asks nonchalantly, examining his fingernails.

“I’d drop that attitude, if I were you.” Harry replies coldly. Blue just gives him a blank stare. Taking slow, heavy steps towards the man, Harry charges up right in front of Blue, using his height as an advantage to tower over the latter. Blue steps back in alarm, so Harry smirks to himself and presses in closer. 

“You started the fight first.” Harry says with a snap, giving the man a hard look. Blue blinks. “So keep that manner up, and you’ll have another offence added to the long list you’ve already got. ‘Attacking an inmate  _ and  _ the police force’, that sounds like trouble, doesn’t it?” Harry tests out, giving the man a fake smile, then clears his throat on purpose.

“I came here to  _ warn _ you. That is, if you still don’t know this is the right time to fear. Be glad i'm an officer, or you could say goodbye to your pretty jaw by now.” Harry says in a dark tone, grunting from deep inside his throat, his mind wandering back to how the poor Sub has cowered in the corner, shaking uncontrollably merely half an hour ago. True, Harry reckons if he's not a police, he'd have taken care of that scumbag by himself, despite his conscience. 

“Lay off, won’t you?” Blue barks, backing up to the wall in irritation. Harry chuckles and ignores him, stepping away from his personal space to pace around in the room, eyes never leaving Blue.

He begins conversationally, though he knows he is touching a sensitive topic of Blue’s, “You would’ve thought you’d have enough money to get away with this. Not this time though, you’re in for it.” In expectation, Blue looks up at him with a defensive stare in his eyes, breathing out hard. Harry continues, “You’ll surely pay for what damage you’ve done on others. And you know what they are. I don’t have to repeat them to you, right?” 

“What are you talking about? I don’t think I quite understand.” Blue pants, mocking a poorly concealed frown, by putting on a badly disguised innocent face that Harry almost rolls his eyes at.

“You’ve got 48 hours here. Why don't you use that time to try to ‘understand’?” Harry spits the last word out sarcastically. 

“Listen to me, and listen good.” The warden walks back to where Blue stands and looks down a him, pressing his voice as low as he could get it to be. “Don’t you  _ dare _ try to play any games with us. The evidence is loud and clear and I’d suggest you report yourself, but not like that would make much difference to your sentence.”

Harry watches as the plot unfolds just as he has anticipated. Jones might be a mean man, and his quick and ill temper will be the exact cause of his (very soon-to-be) tragic end. So, “You’d better start planning how to escape from prison, but as long as you’re under my watch, that’ll be in your wildest dreams.” Harry teases. 

Blue Jone is practically seething. He doesn't like letting others have the upper hand, especially when that someone is another Dom. He begins to formulate a comeback, but Harry beats him to it, speaking cooly, “Know what? You dear partner in crime, Mr. Iero, is the one who sold you out. I should really go thank him for being such a help. You can deny it all you want. But let’s see what the court hears.”

Harry is bullshitting right here, of course Frank hasn’t said anything. But the counsellor is meeting with him soon, and he knows by then the inmate would’ve been persuaded into becoming an accomplice witness. For he wouldn’t have much other choices. 

But as gullible as Blue is, he falls into the trap unknowingly. “What a traitor! I promised to pay off his villa in Greece if he went in for me. Looks like that’s not gonna happen soon…” He growls. Harry smiles.

“Oh, really?  _ How _ juicy.” Harry laughs out genuinely, “But why would you tell me that? Tell that to the detectives who’ll pay you a visit with an arrest warrant soon enough.” Blue’s eye widens. 

Harry nods, satisfied with himself. He takes a few steps back and pretends to leave, only to turn back abruptly, startling at a troubled Blue.

“Oh, and keep this in mind. Even though I’m just the warden of this prison, doesn’t mean I have no power over your case.” Keeping his face void of other emotions, he gives Blue a once-over, “ _ I’ll watch. Over. You _ .” He punctures out the last few words loudly and clearly. There's a shrillness in his voice, a low timber in his undertone which he uses on his usual rebellious Dom inmates.

Harry exits the cell slowly, not caring enough to watch Blue’s reaction. He motions  a guard who patrols outside the corridor to Blue, instructing, “Give him and his belongings a thorough check up.” He instructs. 

The guard nods routinely and goes in. Harry walks off in another direction, straightening his arms above his head to stretch himself. Honestly, he hasn’t put up the tough, scary act ever since he last worked as a detective, but quite frankly, that got a thrill out of him.

Harry takes a glance at his watch, seeing it’s a little bit past 5, past the time his shift ends. He sighs, relieved, reaching up to loosen his button-up uniform, going a hand through his long locks to brush them back as he walks to his office. 

Harry enters and quickly changes out of his work clothes and into his normal outfit, which consist of a floral button-up flannel and some white, tight jeans paired with sparkly boots that he polishes just as much as his work shoes. He exits then jogs to the medical room. 

The Dom practically rips the door open with the force packed within him. His eyes first falls to Paul who has his back towards the door gathering his medical appliances, then they land on Louis who is lying on the mattress, eyes closed, motionless.

Fear leaps in Harry’s throat, he rushes forward, almost crashing into the miscellaneous machines scattering in the room. “Paul! Paul! I- What - Why is he unconscious? I thought he didn't hit his head? Oh my god.” 

“Harry! Calm down, you mother bear.” Paul exclaims, having never seen his boss in such distress. He catches Harry, holding the other man steady almost amusedly, “He’s fine. He was exhausted after all that emotional roller coaster so I just let him sleep.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Don't wake him yet, my patient needs rest.” Paul reminds in a joking manner, knowing Harry. 

“So he is fine?” Harry asks worriedly again, wanting to make sure.

“Majorly, yes.” Paul nods, quickly switching into doctor mode, “Other than the bruise on the left side of his ribs and his left elbow, I didn't see any other noticeable injuries. Physically he's fine, emotionally, however, he's just as bruised. He was in a bit of shock judging his reactions, so I'd suggest going gentle on him.”

“I planned on doing so. After all, I kind of indirectly brought this upon him myself.” Harry sighs, walking quietly to Louis’ bedside, pulling up a chair to sit down. He parts his legs, resting either elbows on each knee, watching Louis intensely.

Louis is sound asleep, laying on the thin mattress looking peaceful, his chest rising up and down steadily. His long eyelashes flutter against his high cheekbones slightly while he naps, faint tears stains still mark his cheeks. Exhaustion must have taken over him, as he falls into a deep slumber, looking untroubled - for the time being.

“You don’t have to stay here, y’know. Isn’t it past your shift already? I see you changed out of your work clothes.” Paul looks up from his pad which holds inmates information, says curiously, seeing the officer is still here. 

“Don’t worry about it, Paul. It’s fine.” Harry replies, giving the doctor a small smile. He turns back around, caressing a finger across the back of Louis’ palm which rests by his side.

“Do you need anything for that hand, Sir?” Paul points at Harry’s bloodied knuckles in concern, from when they've grazed Blue Jones' face. 

Harry looks down at them. They look pretty bad, it must've been a strong blow, he hisses under his breath as he flexes them. “Nah, I'm fine.”

“You sure, Sir? A plaster won't make you look any less intimidating.” Paul repeats. 

“No, i'm sure. It'll heal itself in no time. Thanks for the offer though, Pauly.” Harry dismisses it, despite the mild throb in his hands.

Paul observes Harry with a glint in his eyes. He chortles after a moment of silence, coming up behind Harry. “I was wrong. You’re not a mother bear. You’re a lovesick fool.” 

Harry nearly jumps - he is too busy staring at the lovely Sub - He releases the bottom lip caught between his teeth and tries to not let an embarrassed blush creep up his cheeks. That’s something he nearly never does.

“Paul...Just, don’t spread it okay? I don’t want everyone knowing.” Harry licks his lips, asking sheepishly.

“You got it, boss.” Paul mocks a salute with two fingers, smirking at Harry pointedly as if he can read his mind, “You wanna know how I knew it. I saw it right in your eyes. My wife always tells me that’s how I look at her sometimes.”

“Really?” Harry says half-heartedly,  gaze averting back to the boy lying on the bed, eyes shining. 

Harry has never thought about the future. He never quite thought about how it would be for him and Louis, an unlikely pair, but undoubtedly made for each other. They’ve already got a lot on their hands right now, and Harry knows Louis would want to settle down and away from all the mess in the past, before embarking on a new journey. A journey, hopefully with Harry. Same as the Dom himself, though, he knows to take things slow. For the time being, the only thing on his mind is to get over with the case, so Louis could be set free. And what happens after that, he - they - will come to that later.

As to how he fell for the young lad, Harry doesn’t really know. It was like fondness for the major part of the time, and then all of a sudden that endearment becomes an overwhelming care and affection. It is like an influx of waves, which they rush over him and drowns his mind. But Harry is sure he has never been this awake before.

It just kinda happens.

 

It takes a while for Louis to fully wake up, but he finally does after an hour or so, in the middle of Harry holding his hand in one hand and the other scrolling through his phone absentmindedly. Paul has left the room half-hour in, claiming he has to get some sort of medical appliances somewhere, while actually he just doesn't want to interrupt the Dom and the Sub’s quiet moment or it would be awkward. He made sure Louis is well, he's not needed anymore.

Louis awakes, his free hand going up to rub at his eye, blinking them open. He immediately groans at the mild pain in his side, the full effect of the fall coming in. He glances around his surroundings to recognize where he is, the light tubes hanging in the ceiling brightly illuminating the pale walls of the room and the faint disinfectant smell floating in the air. He is ready to gasp when memories come rushing in, but before he actually does, his eyes made their connection with Harry’s soft ones.

“Hey,” Harry whispers, smiling at the Sub warmly

The Sub blinks once, twice, thrice, parting his lips and a simple “Oh.” comes out.

For a second, Harry is speechless. How do you suppose to talk to someone who has just woken up from something traumatic? Harry isn't sure what is the right thing to say without being inconsiderate. 

Harry leans forward, so that his face hovers above Louis’ and their torsos crossing each other's. Louis’ eyes travel with Harry’s movement, curious; Harry pauses himself momentarily to gain Louis’ approval, but Louis merely looks up at him within their intimate closure, so Harry dives down to give a comforting peck to his forehead.

“Napped well?” Harry settles on when he sits back down.

Louis nods, gaze moving down to their still-intertwining hands. Harry notices that, so he gives the dainty palm a squeeze before releasing it.

“Are you feeling any pain?” He then asks. 

“A bit, just ‘ere,” Louis points to his side, wincing as he does so.

“Nothing too unbearable, though?” A worried frown etches on Harry’s face immediately.

“I can manage.” Louis replies, trying to sit up, but with difficulty. Harry rushes forward to help him get up, he steadies the Sub’s back while another hand propping up a pillow behind him. 

They fall back into a silence, both not knowing what to say is best. The heavy sentiment over the past events looms over the atmosphere, condensing in the back of the room, ready to break free.

“I’m sor — ” “Thank you — ” They begin at the same time. Louis lets out a giggle, and soon they're looking at each other and grinning foolishly. 

“You go first.” Harry motions Louis, still chuckling. 

“Thank you for saving me, Sir.” Louis says shyly, eyes downcast.

Harry shakes his head immediately, protesting, “No, it's my job as an officer. And it's my job to protect you as well.”  _ As a Dom, he _  mentally adds, but it went unsaid.

“It's me who's guilty of putting you through something like this. It's risky, incredibly, but I still pushed you to do it.” Harry sighs, feeling extremely guilty. He knows they did what must be done, but he can't help but feel like he should be responsible. 

“I'm just glad it is over.” Louis mutters, shrugging sadly.

“Hey,” Harry says, smiling at the lad sincerely, “I just wanna tell you that you're the bravest, strongest Submissive i've ever met. Please don't ever doubt your worth or underestimate yourself.”

“Thank you, Sir.” The corners of Louis’ lip stretches into a real and wider smile at the small praise, Harry thinks he's so adorable like that. So it's been scientifically proven that when you like someone, whatever they do becomes better.

“Y’know what? You can call me Harry when I’m off the clock like now. That is, if you'd like.” Harry says, as he fixes his flannel. 

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?” Harry teases jokingly

“Okay,  _ Harry _ .” Louis rolls his eyes.The name rolls off his tongue smoothly. It's the second time Harry has heard it, he never knew hearing someone saying his own name would mean something so special to him. It is a sign of trust, a sign that there is something more, that they are not just as simple as an officer and an inmate. 

Harry’s train of thoughts is broken by an audible gasp. “Your hand…” Louis trails off, taking Harry’s busted knuckles in his palm and examining it carefully. It must have been hurt when Harry is pulling Blue off him. 

Harry stares at Louis staring at his knuckles, his expression unreadable. Here, their hands link again. “You threw quite a punch…” The Sub pouts slightly. 

“Yeah I did. Who says cops have to be polite?” Harry announces boldly, secretly glad that he had made that hit.

“Does it hurt?” Louis wonders out loud, thumbing the angry skin around the cuts.

Harry shrugs, “Not really.” And it is the truth. “I got into fights when way more than you expect, back when I was still a broody teenager. Plus, you must have been through much more pain just now than this tiny scratch.”

“It's no big deal.” Louis looks up at him. 

“No it's not – ” Harry shakes his head, protesting immediately. 

“It's okay now.” Louis cuts him off, “Because you're here.” Harry awes in surprise. That is probably the most forward and sappy thing Louis has told him. Louis avoids his gaze as his face reddens almost instantly, biting his lips coyly in mild embarrassment. 

Suddenly, he giggles. 

“What are you laughing at?” Harry asked bemused.

“I just got this deja vu feeling. Y’know that time when you check my knuckles and now I'm like doing it back.” Louis exclaims, chuckling. It was long time ago, Harry is surprised that Louis still recalls. 

“Oh you still remember?” 

“I remember everything” Louis smiles softly, blinking up at Harry with a glint in his eyes. 

They look at each other's in the eyes again. “So...Now what?” Louis asks out of nowhere, resting back to his pillow. 

“Now we wait. For the court hearing.” Harry relies almost certainly. “I hope it is soon. So you can be out sooner.”

Louis nods, sighing softly, “As much as I said I’d  prefer it here rather than anywhere, I actually want to get out. I’m so done and ready to forget about the past.” He admits. 

Harry beams, “That's great. I mean, that's huge progress.” Louis hums, looking pleased as well. Harry has this overwhelming urge to press his lips against those that are absentmindedly being clutched between Louis’ teeth. 

“Harry?” Louis gulps, beginning hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“The kiss...do you mean it?” He asks in a small voice. 

“Yes.” Harry nods his head rapidly and surely, “Of course. Always.” 

He’s sure he has never been so sure in his life. Louis is like an open window, making him see everything he hasn't seen before. “I-I know this may be a little soon for you, or you may not accept me,” Harry exhales heavily, “but just know that my feelings towards you are real and genuine. I just couldn't help how I feel.”

Thankfully, there are no rejection in Louis’ eyes after Harry’s confession, just curiosity. He looks like he is deeply in thought. “Can we take it slow?” He asks finally. 

Harry releases a breath he didn't know he was holding in, in relief. “Sure,” He rubs at the span of tan skin between Louis’ thumb and index, “Baby steps, yeah?”

The grin on Louis’ face reaches his eyes, making the wrinkles by his eyes appear. “Baby steps.” He repeats. 


	20. Solace (Part 2.16)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  I used a different routine/method of writing, but it is just how i carry out the process of it, not my style so you guys probably won't see anything different. But to me, it is much much less stressful.
> 
> (edited)  
> 

“Please don't leave m-me.” Louis stammers, wiping his big, blue but glassy eyes, tears threatening to fall, “You're the only one I have now.”

“I may be the only one best friend you have, yes I claim that title, but I’m not the only one here having your back.” Josh chuckles at how much of a drama queen his friend is, and rubs his trembling shoulders gently from where they stand face-to-face.

“You’ll come visit me, right?” Louis asks sniffly, using his sweater paws to rid a tear that managed to escape.

“Yeah, course. But I don't think I’ll get the chance to, you're getting out soon anyways, aren't you? Maybe _you_ can come visit me then.” Josh says jokingly, trying to ease the weight in the heavy atmosphere.

Louis whines again, letting out a hiccup, “I’m gonna miss you, bro.”

“Aw, miss you too, Lou.” Josh coos sympathetically, heart clenching at the thought of not being able to see his best friend for a while. “I'm just on the other side, though. And soon you’ll be able to join me.” He says, using his thumb to point out the fence.

“You - You have to live well when you get out, yeah? Enjoy the freedom, love yourself, and b-be happy.” Josh sighs, looking down at Louis fondly. Louis pouts, grabbing Josh’s hands and huffs, “Promise me!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll do all what you said, okay?" Josh rolls his eyes, "Why are you acting like you're never gonna see me again? I'm just getting out of prison, not dying!” Josh says, trying to stop himself from giggling at Louis’ silliness, lest he’d hurt his best friend’s feelings. Laughing when someone is crying is the worst thing one can do.

“Hey!” Louis’ pout deepens, “I’m just g-glad that you get to leave. I'm so happy and proud of you. Plus, you're my first real friend in a long while. Can't I at least shed some tears for my best friend?”

“Sure, Lou. I'm not teasing you.” Josh smiles genuinely then, leaning forward to engulf Louis in a bone-crushing hug, to which Louis squeezes back just as hard. Just months ago they met, neither one expecting any bright future ahead of them, but now here they are, ready to turn a new page in life.

Josh turns away after releasing Louis, facing the fence. He raises a palm to touch it gently, fingers running along the gaps. “Remember when we were just fixing this?”

Louis gasps, “Of course, how could I forget? Who knew fixing a fence could be so tiring?”

“I know, right?” Josh smiles as well, sighing happily at the memory, which is in fact not too far away. Louis turns around to lean himself against the fence, feet mindlessly flicking a small pebble beneath him. He looks out at the world outside, the speeding cars, the never-ending highways; at the houses, he wonders what people do, do they somehow think about the prisoners like how prisoners think of them?

“When's your court date?” Josh asks, out of the blue like he's just thought of it.

Louis shrugs, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, “I don't know. Harry hasn't told me. I guess it's soon though.”

“Ooh?” Josh wiggles his eyebrows at Louis talking about the warden, as a smirk makes it way into his lips, “You two are on first name basis already?”

“Yes,” Louis admits in a small voice, cheeks reddening immediately, “We - Our feelings towards each other are mutual. We have discussed about it. We are um, trying to go slow though. So don't spread it, please.”

Josh mimics a motion of zipping his lips then throwing away the key, “I won't be coming back here to spread it anyways. But Lou, I'm giving you my genuine blessing. I'm glad that you are happy.”

“Thanks, Josh.” Louis speaks in a choked tone, a lump forming in his throats from his friend’s supportive words, “That means a lot to me. Really.”

Josh returns a grin just as big. “Are you nervous for the court?”

“I am,” Louis says honestly, “But strangely I’m more relieved than scared. It's like,” pause, “Putting an end to things, finally.”

“Prison is temporary. That's what you told me, right?” Josh reminds softly.

They see out of the corner of their eyes an officer gradually approaching them. Josh begins to straighten up, “I’ll come to the court sit-in if I can, yeah? As moral support.”

The officer catches up to them, holding a small notepad in his hand and faces Josh. “Inmate number 90820, Josh Devine right?” Josh nods. The officer clears his throat then places an arm on Josh’s shoulders, “Right. You're coming with me, kid. You're getting released.”

Louis whimpers, jumping in to hug Josh sideways, nuzzling his face into the fabric of the latter’s prison uniform. Josh hugs him back just as strongly, and together, they share a teary last embrace.

“Take care.” Louis manages to get out against Josh shirt. The officer starts pulling on Josh impatiently, grunting as the two friends refuse to let each other go.

“You too.” Josh murmurs, just in time for the officer to begin hurrying him along the way. As he is led away by the guard, he waves back, smiling softly.

Louis slides down along the fence after Josh left, but not before following the man’s diminishing figure until it disappears from his view. Louis sits against the grass beneath his bum, situating his arms above his head as he leans back on the metal wires. He take a deep breath, there's a heavy weight that presses against his chest, making it ache along with every intake of air. Often times he feels like there is always an end of something, then the start of a new thing.

Then that something couldn't come sooner, as he spots the familiar silhouette of the man of his dreams talking to his colleague not far away. Their eyes catch each other’s across the field, Harry sending him a subtle, fond smile.

It is almost as if he has expected it, no matter when or where, Harry shows up one way or another. Meeting each other a few times a day may sound repetitive, but that it simultaneous what both of them are restless without. It might be on purpose, but somehow, somewhere, Harry and Louis find themselves slipping into each other's paths. It might be in the morning where the sun is  only peeking, it might be afternoon where the hallway is full of people, it might be at night where the moon is shing bright. And somehow, one could just turn around to look, and there their person is. They always sense each other’s presence, the thought of each other lingers on their respective minds so much that they could pick up each other’s voice even in an overcrowded room. Then, with a rummaging deer in their chest their gaze connects with one another’s across the room, igniting a fire that burns with curiosity but at the same time cools their beating hearts down with an odd sense of calmness.

Everything is right there as they should be, as they're meant to be. Most people don't look around, but only if they spare a glance back, they'll find the thing they've always been looking for, the thing they've always desired. It is as if finding a gem in a coal mine: you wouldn't be able to notice it at all, but when you do, you would've think that is where you should always be looking at. It must be.

Louis counts up all things that _happened_ that lead him up to this moment. All the times he vows to never give up. If he gave up, he wouldn't be here at all. He wouldn't have met Harry, and it has to be Harry, the warden of the prison he stays in, out of all people. It feels odd, in the sense  that when you wake up from a very realistic dream and are just wondering what is really the reality, however it feels just as it should be all along.

 

\---

 

It is an idle day. Louis has nothing to do. The time for work won’t come yet until later, he doesn’t feel quite like going out and socializing with people.

He sits on the mattress, feet dangling above the ground until an idea forms on his mind. A grin gradually makes its way to Louis’ face, making him hop down from the bed to skip out of the room. You could have already guessed where his destination in mind.

Soon he reaches the all-too familiar door, Harry’s office. Seeing it is closed, he raises his knuckles to knock on the door, waiting patiently for a reply. A moment later, a muffled voice sounds from within the room. “Come in.” The voice calls out.

Louis smiles to himself in content, twisting the doorknob to peek his head in. Harry looks away from his laptop as he hears the soft click of the door, his eyes lighting up when he sees Louis. “Hey, Lou.” He greets cheerily.

“Am I bothering you?” Louis asks shyly.

“Not at all. I'm just typing up a report.” Harry shakes his head, waving for Louis to come in.

Louis grins, slipping through the gap into the room. He closes the door behind him, skipping over to the couch on the other side of the room. He removes his slipper, before sitting down on the sofa and resting his feet onto the clean, white and fluffy rug rested on the floor. He has always adored this rug, for it is ever so soft as if he is standing on a cloud and the feathers never tickle the soles of his feet. He’d want such a rug placed in his future home, preferably before the tv, so he could chill out there.

“Phew, aaaand I’m finally done!” Harry cheers to himself, closing the lid to his laptop in content. He stands up from the roller chair, walking over to the cabinet opposite his desk to retrieve a few drinks, “To be honest, writing reports are the worst part of this job, despite liking it so much.”

“I thought it was dealing with the inmates?” Louis jokes from the sofa.

“Nah, how could I hate it when one of said inmates is you.” Harry winks at Louis, taking a seat next to the couch and pushes a can of coke over to him.

Louis gratefully takes it, thanking Harry and taking a small sip from the can. “Y’know, when I first tried coke when I was three I spat it right out on the ground because I hated the fizz, but now I'm fine with it even though it's just like drinking sugar with water.”

“Aw, you did?” Harry coos, chuckling at the mental image of a three-year-old Louis pouting adorably at the taste of the fuzzy drink, scrunching up his nose in the cutest way possible. His mind momentarily drifts to Louis’ parents who are most probably responsible of giving him coke, and where they are now. He didn't lingers too much on that thought, deciding it would eventually come up in conversation. Instead, he says, “Do you know coke was initially invented to cure a low libido?”

“Really? I didn’t know that.” Louis muses, surprised.

“Yeah,” Harry says, “I somehow know a lot of random trivia like this.”

“Oh? Well tell me more.” Louis asks eagerly, sitting up straighter.

“Hmm, how about,” Harry furrows his brows and makes a thinking face, “One of octopus’ eight tentacles is actually its [penis](http://alulawings.tumblr.com/post/118169225071/octopayne-and-zayntaur-12-whoopsy-daisy-or). Which is actually detachable and can swim somewhere else itself to have intercourse with another octopus.” He pretends to be as nonchalant as he can, laughing to himself as he watches Louis’ eyes go wide.

“Whoa, hold up,” Louis gasps dumbfounded, placing a palm on his chest, “I need a moment for this.”

“I'm just glad i'm not an octopus.” Harry shrugs, allowing Louis to get over his initial shock. He empties his coke with a large gulp.

Louis follows suit, though taking a small sip instead. “Is it...Can it grow back?” He asks very warily.

“Course,” Harry nods, “Pretty fast as well. That's why I’m glad i'm not one.” He shrugs.

“So does that mean...That I could've actually _blown_ an octopus!” Louis exclaims, shutting his eyes at the horror, “Oh god i'm never eating octopuses again.” He declares firmly.

“That does sound disgusting,” Harry agrees with him, “but only when you really think about it though. People eat chicken butts everyday.”

“Ew that sounds equally horrible,” Louis makes a disgusted face, “I've never eaten that.”

“What? You've never?” Louis nods, “Then you’ve got to try it!

But Louis shakes his head rapidly in protest, “Nope, I’m not doing that.”

“You gotta try everything once in your life,” Harry counters, “If you never try you’ll never know.”

“Nuh-uh, still no.” Louis holds his head high, determination shining in his eyes, “I don't like to eat ass.”

“But you’d love to get your ass eaten, right?” Harry smirks, awaiting the familiar blush painting the Sub’s cheeks which he knows will sure make an appearance

Louis sputters as his jaws fall agape, gasping softly, “Y-You can't say that!”

Harry’s small smirk widens to a grin, “And why can't I?” He teases in a challenging tone, fully smug.

Louis tears his eyes, flustered, away from Harry’s intensifying gaze, “Because –” He bites his lips as his heart beats against his chest, “Because it’s just too early!”

“You didn't deny it though,” Harry points out, deciding not to tease the Sub further. It is indeed quite early in their relationship, but since when have they ever been traditional?

“Well, yes,” Louis admits, his eyes still downcast the the fiery heat on his face still prominent. Harry fonds. “T-That is my nature. You know that.”

“I know,” Harry replies simply, disposing the metal can in his hands. He stands up, and feels Louis’ eyes trail his body up to his face then blinks at him with curious eyes. Harry’s fingers go up to his mouth to trail along his bottom lip, a habit that he has, and tilts his head to a side.

“Y’know what? Let's go take a walk.” He suggests.

“Yeah, okay.” Louis nods, standing up as well. And together, they exit the room side by side.

They go to the field, where the sun is shining bright, making both of them squint their eyes. Louis leads Harry towards the remote space where Zayn has taken him once to look at the stars. It is just behind the chapel, and as usual, no one is around.

They walk around for a while, both not saying a thing but just bathing in the comfortable silence, until Louis silently slips a hand into Harry’s.

Harry turns to him, raising an eyebrow in surprise. He didn’t retrieve his own hand though, and instead clutches tighter on the small hand in his.

Louis looks up at him coyly, biting his lips and hiding a blush, “Baby steps, yeah?”

“Baby steps.” Harry breathes out. He repeats, feeling a strange wave of deja vu rushing over him. A warmth settles in his chest, he squeezes the dainty hands in his. Everything is good.

Back to silence, then after a beat, “So...Why were you sitting on the ground when I saw you that day?” Harry asks casually, swinging their linked palms slightly. He is referring to the day Josh got out.

Louis flickers his eyes to Harry, who already has a fixed gaze at him, then back down to his lap. He shrugs, “Josh gets released that day. He is already gone.”

“Well,” Harry begins, making Louis looks up at him again, “Shouldn't you  be happy? For that your friend finally gets his freedom?”

“Yes, I should,” Louis admits reluctantly, then sighs, “I am happy for him. But at the same time this means I won't be seeing him for some time. And I miss him already.”

“I understand.” Harry smiles sympathetically. Louis sighs, chuckling sadly because he can't do anything about it. Because at the same time, he is one of the most proud and ecstatic ones to hear Josh’s departure.

“I just genuinely hope that he could have it better out of prison. And live a life he deserves.”  

“Josh is a good kid. I can tell.” Harry says and leans back against the couch, feeling genuinely bad for the misunderstood Sub, “He just needs to start being with people who is right for him.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Louis agrees quietly and stares down to the ground with thoughtful eyes, leaving Harry to wonder what all is going through that head of his.

“Do you think I'll ever live a life I deserve?” Louis asks out of nowhere, piercing the silence. He looks to Harry with worried eyes, fragility written all over his features. His eyes hold so much uncertainty, though a hint of hope still hides behind them. He bites his lips, awaiting Harry’s response as if that's all he needs.

 _I will give you everything you deserve, and more_. “You will, you so will, Louis. Anyone would be absolutely lucky to have you. You should never give up and always believe in the good in life. You deserve everything in the world, after what you went through and even before you went through them. ‘Cause you're such a beautiful soul, and damn those people who think of you any less than an angel.”

Harry gets that all out in a single breath, lips slightly agape after he finishes his mini-monologue, staring into Louis’ eyes with such fiery intensity. Louis blinks at him in mild shock, a blush tainting his defined cheeks.

It was not until they have circled the chapel for the third time do they hear some sounds from within the chapel. Halting dead in their tracks, they wonder who on earth would be inside. There are sounds as if something drops on the ground, then some loud voices, then finally a noisy cackle of the wooden door. And then out comes none other than Zayn who is busy shushing the other person inside the chapel.

Zayn walks out of the chapel, sighing loudly. He quickly fixes his shirt which is suspiciously wrinkled, wearing a smug smile on his face. He looks up, startled momentarily surprised when he senses someone’s presence, but relaxes once he sees it is actually just Harry and Louis.

He immediately reaches a hand up to smooth over his slightly messed up hair, embarrassment filling his features. “Neither of us are on our shifts!” He rushes to defends himself. Harry just rolls his eyes.

“Say, H, drinks at your place later tonight, yeah?” Zayn asks, switching topics immediately. There's a mumbling inside the chapel, to which Zayn turns around and disappear within it again, “Yeah, babe, what was that?” He calls out.

A moment later, Zayn steps out again accompanied by a sweaty but pleased looking Niall, who beams and waves at the couple outside but said nothing. “Niall said we’ll bring the beer.” Zayn speaks for his Sub.

Harry regards them with a knowing look, though simply nods. Niall’s eyes trails down to the warden and Louis’ intertwined hands, then gives Louis a thumbs up and a smirk.

“This is sure a nice location, right boss?” Zayn snickers. And when Harry gives him no reply, he chuckles and starts pulling Niall with him, “Alright, um, we’re just gonna go. See ya tonight.”

He and Niall leaves, practically running away. Niall follows him, but not without a limp in his steps. Harry and Louis waits until the other couple is far enough away before turning to each other. bursting into laughter simultaneously.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  heyyyy, please tell me your thoughts on this chapter, no matter the plot, the flow, the characters or the writing. Just tell me how it makes you feel :)) I'll deeply appreciate it
> 
> :D
> 
> much love xx
> 
> p.s. click the link i attached haha prob not what you expected ;)
> 
> p.p.s. update : sorry the next chapter may come a little bit late since i have a major exam ahead. i'll try my best


	21. Solace (Part 2.17)

Louis flips a page in his book, which he started some time ago but never manage to finish, mind wandering somewhere else. His gaze flickering through the pages, skimming through all the words, yet none of them makes a sense when put together in his head. He sighs dejectedly, before turning a page back again. 

So far a week has passed with nothing much happened, except Harry and Louis still banter once in a while and Louis still having his lunch, on his own without his prison-mate now. Louis tries to bond with other inmates and plans on doing so until he has to leave, which he suspects to be not soon after, despite Harry still hasn't let him in on any news regarding his trial at the court. Josh hasn't visited, having been out of prison for mere days, but he did had a phone call with Louis. The Sub is currently staying under a former-friend’s roof and he has, surprisingly, already got a job. Louis supposes that is because “Submissive Crimes” is not deemed as significant as other legitimate wrong-doings. Josh is hoping to be able to rent a flat of his win in a few months. Louis awaits his good news.  

While in the other hand, things have never been better with Harry, and Louis couldn't be more delighted, and genuinely, happy. At least once a day would Harry find time to come to his cell and has  _ private sessions _ with Louis, and if Louis couldn't be patient enough to wait for his man, he'll go find him himself. So far they haven't gone beyond a few kisses here and there, for the respect of the intention of “taking things slow” as well as actual prison rules. That certainly limit them a little. 

So they talk about about anything. Louis, spills a bit of his past enjoyable memories, antics of other inmates and daily lives in the prison, all to which Harry listens intently; Harry, sharing gossiping news about inmates and colleagues, complains about his love-hate relationship with work and opinions on things going round in the world. 

Louis is idling around on his bed, on his stomach with his forearms propping up his upper body on his elbows, feet kicking mindlessly behind his back. His gaze gets caught in the little slip of note placed on the small bedside table, then he lets out a sound between a hum and a sigh. Shifting his body weight onto his right side, he reaches out for the note, holding it delicately in his fingers as he reads it, once again. His long fringe falls into his eyes in the process.  

 _Wait for me today._ is scrawled into the paper in nine other than Harry’s neat writing, on a piece of note that the Warden very likely tears down from of the pages in old files, which he regards as spare draft paper. Louis carefully run a thumb over the imprints of the short message written in blue pens. He smiles faintly, as he feels the weight Harry has put in his words, the lingering touch of his pen in his capital letters.  

The note is passed to him this morning. Harry, who came over to his breakfast table in the  canteen to say his usual greetings, has promptly pressed the discreet note onto Louis’ tray, the closest to him. He has winked at Louis subtly, then grins a suggesting smile as if he has something planned, thus that excited and nervous glint in his eyes, leaving Louis to grin to himself bashfully.

By what is said on the message, Harry has meant for Louis to wait for him in his cell, instead of going over to the Warden’s Office to hang there like always, which indicates the Dom certainly has something to tell him. Louis could only wonder what that would be about.

Being with Harry is ease, is calm, as if the focus of the entire universe tilts and zeros in on one handsome Dominant, as he talks, as Louis watches him talk, with one hand always grasping Louis’ in his or generally touching him somewhere, another moving animatedly as he rambles. And whenever Harry would cast a look his way, Louis knows too, that look and that secret smile, a simple lift at the corner of his mouth accompanied with the twinkling in his eyes, is reserved especially for him. 

In the short period of time, Harry is gaining Louis’ trust, just as Louis finds himself falling for the man more and more. It should be scary and thrilling all at once, but it is not, instead it feels like this is all that should happen. So Louis embraces it with all his heart, which comes down to him giggling like a schoolgirl whenever his mind travels to his crush, which is quite often. 

A soft click on his cell door is what breaks Louis’ train of thoughts. Louis looks up, watching as Harry lets himself in then closing the door behind him, a fervent look in his eyes. Louis snaps the book shut in his hands, conveniently using the note as his bookmark; despite all, he wouldn’t want Harry to know he has been staring at and obsessed with a simple piece of paper. 

Harry sits down on the mattress, just as Louis sits up, criss-crossing his socked feet. He holds the other man’s gaze as he puts away his book. Harry holds his breath, a barely contained smirk forcing its way onto his lips, as he fixes Louis with an expectant look. 

Louis takes in the scene in amusement, tilting his head slightly, “What?” He asks through an incredulous chuckle.

Harry is almost buzzing by now. He clears his throat, “First thing,” He blurts out, “I’ve got your court date.” He rushes out his words, stumbling them together. But he knows Louis has caught on, by the way the Sub’s eyes lights up. 

Louis stiffens a gasp; the warming and tightening itch is back in his stomach, spreading across his chest. The future awaits, he is about to take a step towards the unknown. He imagines himself in the middle of a damp, dark tunnel, taking anticipating steps towards the light on the other side; or at the cliff edge, ready to jump down to the water beneath. There is no inbetween.

“When is it?” He manages.

“Exactly 10 days from now.” Harry gives a neutral smile as he says it, a soft expression taking over his face. He looks at Louis fiercely.

Harry is just ecstatic that his feeling towards the lad is mutual. Louis is like no other, making Harry almost losing his mind in the best way possible. He is a revitalizing breeze in the frenzied summer, the sky-splitting lightning in a storm. Harry is always reminded and amazed by how strong Louis is despite all the horrors he has gone through, how he is willing to stand up against his demons to fight them down. He is a beautiful, untainted rose surrounded by dirty mud, unwavered and ethereal. And if Harry could stop his heart from bursting with joy and fond every time he thinks of the adorable Sub, he wouldn’t

A toothy smile breaks its way to Louis’ face. He looks relieved, somehow, not reluctant nor frightened, and Harry is happy. “That’s not long from now.” He comments.

“Yeah,” Harry exhales. Ten days from now will he see Louis standing in court wearing a suit, courageously testifying against his former abusive Dominant, and then possibly welcoming him home.

Harry’s heart has always been tender for the lad, from the first moment he laid eyes on him. He is like a dream come true, who managed to capture Harry breath and soothe his soul. Others would say the Dom has gone soft on the Sub, or how he is whipped and would do everything for the boy, but Harry knows he is just blessed by love.

Love. A sacred word. A word which opens to unfathomable paths of opportunity and hope. 

“Hey,” Harry says barely above a whisper, his hot breath hitting Louis on the shell of his ears. In the short period of time Louis has worked himself snug against Harry’s side, pressing into the Dom and practically draping himself all over the former, or rather, buried himself into the man. Harry would've wondered if he and Louis become one now, but he doesn't have to worry because he has currently got a lap full of Louis Tomlinson. Beautiful, coy sub. So naturally, his one arm wraps itself around Louis’ slim waist, other arm carding through the feathery soft brown hair, where Louis has conveniently laid his head on the man’s shoulders.  

“Hey,” Harry tries again, having momentarily forgot what he was going to say. Louis blinks up at him, unmoving. Normally they would enjoy a good cuddle then call it a day; but not today. Today Harry has to act. 

“I’m gonna ask you a question. There’s no right answers, okay? The only thing I need you to be is be serious and honest with me.” said Harry, his eyes searching Louis’, barely hiding the uncertainty in his voice. His heart is hammering vehemently in his chest. 

Louis sits up in confusion, noticing the weight in Harry’s words, he pouts just a little because he fails to decipher the nature of the pending question from Harry’s features, for it may be good or it may go bad. Harry clears his throat awkwardly, then Louis just realizes the proximity between their faces, just a thin gap and their lips could touch. A wave of shiver rips through Louis from the heat of Harry's breath hitting on his face. 

“Would you,” begins Harry, holding in his breath, “be my Submissive?”

Louis’ breath catches in his throat. He has half anticipated the question, given how things have been heading. Still, emotions pour into him all at once upon hearing those very words. He gasps out of their intensity. It's shock, ecstasy and relief that slip past his lips. He looks up at Harry with wide eyes, looking into the raw affections, the nerve underneath masked by pure courage, a mix of emotions in those greens. But Louis has always been sure. It has always been Harry, since the start of day one, it has always been Harry on his mind, Harry in his heart. 

A bubble of what suspiciously feels like hope and love rises to the surface, casting a knot on Louis’ tongue, he could hear his own magnified heartbeat in his ears. “Yes.” He breathes out, willing his voice not to waver. 

Harry immediately attacks him with a bear hug, long arms weaving around Louis’ waist and back, crushing him against himself. Louis lets out a small amused “oomph” against Harry’s broad shoulders, where his face fell, he hears Harry sighing in relief into his ears. 

“Thank you,” croaks Harry after loosening his bone-crushing grip, a grin stretching his face and eyes glinting with light, “I was bloody terrified you'd say no.”

Louis chuckles, holding Harry as tightly, knuckles caressing into the Dom’s back, “Of course not, _Harry_. There is...no other way I want us to be.”  

Harry gently pushes the Sub away from himself, only to slide his palm along the lines of Louis’ curve, trailing along his neckline to his cheek. The back of his index strokes fondly at the high cheekbones, thumb resting just beneath Louis’ chin. Harry inches closer that the tips of their noses almost touch, breath mixing between them. Louis’ gaze falls naturally to Harry’s lips, the bitten, plump pair that dares to be touched. With a union of groans, they fall against each other, lips attaching the right instant. 

It is a beautiful kiss. Pure kiss which contains nothing but the birth of a whole new world. Kissing Louis is like celebrating the apocalypse, even if everything else is wilting, their love blossoms the fiercest. Harry opens his mouth, willing Louis to part his lips, hot tongues slither against one another. There are nothing else on their minds, just a tunnel with a bright ball of light in the end. And they are both people running to the end. Their heartbeats soar in their ears, erupting in flames of an enrapturing future. 

They both pull away after there is absolutely no more oxygen left in their lungs, and still they want much more, so much more that they would drown within each other and still never let go. The passion burns their hearts, it ignites a fire in the pit of their guts and it eats their minds away, and yet that is never enough. The arrow in their hearts ties their souls together, tightening their bond with a ribbon of love, and in that moment they believe nothing is going to come in between the two of them. The world exists only in each others’ breaths and touches and that’s it. 

The lips of Louis are glistening with their shared spit, red and swollen and puffy and that merely makes Harry wants to bite into them more. Harry never knew kissing Louis could be this arousing and liberating, he swears he must be in heaven, or floating on cloud nine. The rest of his mind is blank, for it is filled to the brim with chants of  _ LouisLouisLouis _ . Harry is so in awe at the Sub in his lap, and soon to be  _ his own _ Sub. Once upon a time he was almost convinced that he’d never find one perfect for him, until Louis came into his life, thus flipping his world upside down. Now, the only thing ablaze in his heart is his utmost affection for younger male, which swells his heart to a size curiously looks like love. He never thought he could find one as perfect as Louis, so flawlessly made for him as he is made for him. The glassy eyes upon the flushed cheeks, looking at him with urgency. Only him.

“And I could now officially say you took my breath away.” Harry hums happily, as they both gain their breath back after panting together/ 

Louis groans at the sappy remarks, falling against Harry’s chest from his sitting position, his blush darkening even more than what  Harry thought was possible.

Harry catches him gracefully, wrapping a strong arm around his shoulders almost like he is cradling the boy. And he should, he has all the rights to treat the tiny Sub as his china doll. “And I believe you just fell for me.” Smooth, Styles. 

Louis groans even louder, though the grin on his lips splitting his face open says otherwise. 

“So, if all goes well, not that it won't, after court we could…” Louis listens into Harry babbles after their possible future plans, leaning into his side. Harry’s gaze meets his but he doesn't stop talking, just holds his hand with Louis’ and places their linked palms on his lap. Louis smiles softly up at the Dom –  _ his _ , now – mind wandering else where. Somewhere bright and beautiful.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  sorry for this lateness i had a major exam
> 
> not sure if i did this chapter justice, it is so short, was supposed to add the court scene but i don't want to keep people waiting
> 
> so keep an eye out for next chapter :)
> 
> thank you for sticking by, love always


	22. Solace (Part 2 - FINALE)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  hope you guys haven't forgot about me...by this time i'm aware that i may never be able to do a chapter absolute justice
> 
> and would you look at the chapter title again....oOOOoOoOHhHH

“Harry, the lad looks _fine_.” Niall repeats from the entrance of the room, for what must the the millionth time.

Harry doesn’t reply for a moment. Instead, he focuses on the creases folding itself atop the hard-pressed suit in front of him, as lingers his palms on Louis’ chest in order to smooth them out to the best of his ability. He sighs exasperated, before turning to his blonde-haired colleague-slash-friend fully. “He has to look his best out there. It’s court day. Big day,” announces Harry with emphasis, “First impression matters!” He exclaims in a huff, subconsciously biting over his bottom lip and twisting back so he could give his Sub a last once-over.

“I agree actually, Harry,” quips Louis as he finally find his chance to speak without Harry shushing him, “I do believe I’m looking the best I could manage. You don’t really have to go all out to make me look like a prince.” Louis opens his arms wide as if presenting the evidence, showcasing the trimmed suit he newly acquired. Subtle navy blue of the blazer matches with his equally blue striped tie, which goes along with the plain white button-up underneath. The creases are smoothed out and the collar ironed straight and strong in places they should stand. He has a pair of polished, shining black shoes on, and even silver cufflinks carved with intricate, floral patterns on both of his wrists, which Harry supplied. Of course, the sleeves were a bit too long that they have to roll them up a bit, but there is no denying that Louis is looking right stunning, even to people besides Harry.

“Nonsense,” concludes Harry as he rolls his eyes, pulling his bottom lip into a small frown that frames his face. Louis has noticed, Harry tends to have this face on when he is concentrating or being mildly concerned, which the Sub finds rather cute actually. Louis would not say anything though, so he just smiles instead, closing his eyes promptly when he feels strong yet gentle fingers weaving into his hair.

“Really. Are you quite finished?” Niall groans from the side, putting his hands up in the air in defeat. He spares a glance outside, expecting court officers arriving any minute. Harry can really go over-the-top when he wants. The officers are coming to escort Louis along with Niall in a van, while Harry and their other colleagues, who would attend the hearing, in another car.

Harry almost doesn’t bother answering his Irish friend. “ _Yes_ ,” He grunts, “just a mo’, Nialler.”, not pausing from his fuss around Louis, while attempts not to notice how the way a strand of fringe curling innocently around Louis’ sharp cheekbones gives him particular feelings. Seriously, who sculpted Louis? Harry’s eyes travel up, meeting with Louis’. He nods once. “You good? Confident?”

Louis nods.

“Remember what the solicitor told you?”

“Yes and relax, Harry. It’s me going to court, not you. I will be fine.” The corners of Louis’ lips lift up, assurance said to Harry the same as it is said to himself. Harry exhales slowly, loosening his overly-tense shoulders, the hard lines of his mouth relax slightly. The man’s caring nature and general dramatics are quite endearing and they are working their ways into Louis’ heart. It comes to the Sub’s realization that he seldom sees this uncontained side of the Dom’s peek out, for Harry has always put on the mask of an authoritative, stern officer,  but he quickly decides that he likes it very much.

“Is everything going alright in here?” A new voice announces itself from the doorway. Harry swiftly, though reluctantly removes his hands from where they’ve been casually caressing Louis’ torso, then straightens himself. All three of them in the room turns to the person entering the room, an officer, likely the one they are waiting for. “I am here to escort the inmate to court.” The officer speaks with a professional tilt to his voice, crossing the room in large strides across the room, stopping just before the couple, “Warden Styles, is he ready?”

Harry squeezes the wrist that he is holding, hidden from view, then releases it. Louis takes the hint and steps forward, facing the officer. Harry licks his lips before settling into a dismissive  tone, “Yeah, just take him.”

Louis clears his throat, shifting on his feet in an attempt to appear coy. “Officer Styles…” He trails off, running the right choice of words through his mind, the escort officer’s face in his peripheral view, “It is my greatest gratitude that you have aided me so much, so far, and provided such a good stay for me.” He bats his eyelashes at the Dom playfully, though his words convey every ounce of genuine.

Harry smirks, playing along, “Of course, Mr. Tomlinson, that is simply my job as a warden,” then, leaning down that his lips hovers next to the shell of Louis’ ear, he drops to a husky whisper, “I’m your _Dom_ , after all.” He leans back, slipping the neutral mask down his face. The court officer watches their exchange boredly.

Louis’ breath hitches slightly at the words, a blush forming readily at his cheeks, he looks at the ground to better hide the spreading grin. Harry smiles to himself, and takes a step backwards.

“He’s yours.” He extends a hand and said to the officer, then shooting Niall an expectant glance.

“Right,” The blond catches on, and nods,  “I’ll be the one to accompany the inmate.”

The court officer merely nods at Niall. “If the inmate is ready,” He mutters, motioning Louis to follow him, before halting, “Warden Styles, would you be attending the trial?”

“Naturally,” says Harry. Sadly, only he and Niall are going to attend, with Zayn remaining at the prison building. The man wanted to go as moral support, badly even, but the prison needs its vice-warden to monitor, after all.

A tight smile which looks more like a grimace pulls up the corner at the court officer’s mouth. He hums at the reply politely. He steps aside, letting Niall then Louis out first, and follows the both of them out of the room, out of the gates, to a mini-van with blackened windows sitting in front of the entrance.

 

/* /* /* /* /*

 

“Scared, Lou?” Harry asks, as they stand in the waiting room, for the trial that is about to begin. He takes Louis’ soft palms in his, rubs his thumb across the junction between Louis’ thumb and his index, It is silent comfort, one that Louis is thankful for.

Louis would’ve said no. But right now, he can't help but to admit, “Yes.” He said reluctantly, his voice light above a whisper. He blinks twice, looks up to Harry through his eyelashes, breath caught in throat.

“Don’t be. You’ll be fine.” Harry whispers back, in the same voice. He shifts a step closer, resting a hand on Louis’ left shoulder, and pulls him in. The corners of his lips lift up into a supportive smile, then he is leaning down, pressing a chaste, though reassuring kiss to Louis’ lips.

Louis flushed faintly when they part, his tongue running over the spot that Harry’s mouth touch which lingers in a burning hot sensation. Breaths are coming out of him shortly, though Harry reckons it does not solely stem from the effect of the affectionate act.

The bell rings outside. Harry sighs, releasing the gentle hold he has on his Submissive, only to reach up and re-tie Louis’ tie. It is time. Louis inhales in through his nose sharply, nimble fingers fidgeting with the hem of his perfectly-ironed suit.

“You’ll be alright.” Harry tells him, lips hovering over the fringe spreading over Louis’ forehead. Casting a final once-over on his boyfriend, he holds out a hand. “Let’s go out.” He speaks softly.

Their entwined hands drop right after they step out of the room, into the public eye. A slow, almost dragged-out walk to the front of the courtroom brings them to the door. Harry is allowed to escort and accompany Louis because of his status as a, technically, prison officer. A guard sees them approach, and holds open the door for them with a bored expression on his face. Both men ignores him.

Once they entered, Louis is brought up to the temporary cell which is for him to sit in throughout the course of the court. Niall gives him a discreet smile and a nod when the blonde goes to stand next to the cell door. Louis is instantly reminded of the last time he has been in these exact cells. It was almost yesterday to him.

Harry goes over to settle himself into the audience seats.

The front door opens with a squeak. The judge, with a white wavy wig perched on his head, sweeps into the room with his cape flowing like an oversized bat. He coughs once, hardened gaze scanning the courtroom. The loud chatter in the room momentarily tones down to a low buzz, as the judge ascends up to his seat in the centre stage. His mouth fits into a flat line as he picks up the file on the desk, which a secretary has thrown down mere seconds before, and begins to read.

Someone from the side orders everyone in the courtroom to stand up. So Louis does, with a slight tremble in his fingers as he attempts to dust off non-existent dirt on his trousers, biting the insides of his cheeks. He tries not to glance at the audience seats, where he knows Harry, his _Dom_ , would be sitting at as well as a dozen of officers from the prison who _supports_ him, knowing that once he looks, he won’t be able to stop looking. He heaves a flitting breath into his lungs, and waits.

Louis remembers sitting in the same place, same chair, confined to the same cage, mere a year ago. He had been convulsing with fear, loathe, and a wish to escape from every horror in the world, including himself. The scars crisscrossing his torso had been tingling, his mind clouded with demons, swirling deep inside his body, eating him out. It had been a white, hot, fiery shot of perturbation in his gut, he remembers blindly clutching his palms to the chair to stop himself from simply dissolving at the site of the very man who swore to him a good life but gave him nightmares to last a lifetime. He had been scared for his life. But now, he knows if he thinks of nothing else, he could be smiling.

Smiling used to be a luxury. So Louis gives his former Dom his best one, as the man is pushed roughly through the doors, and thrown into a cell similar to one Louis is in, but across the room.

Four years ago he was unbeknownst to cruelty in the world which a single person could be capable of. A year ago he was seeking asylum in the darkest corners so at least his soul could be free. Right now, he sits calmly, and waits for just a little bit more for his ultimate triumph.

He has conquered, he is not merely living but truly _alive_. Every breath he takes in : a reminder of the happiness he has found and deserved.

His solicitor stands up, half bows to the judge and addresses the crowd.

The offence barrister is a middle-aged, blonde man with an impeccable taste in fine suits, royal purple tie, carefully rolled up sleeve and an arrogant glow on his long, chiselled face. He takes his time in rising from the chair he has been sitting on, picks up a stack of document hands to him which he discarded without reading, and measured the crowd with a cold, deep blue gaze. The room is filled up with his presence almost immediately, and Mr. Jones sure did hire someone with class and highly-expected profession, the man’s cool glance disregarded everyone else as if they are mere peasants, yet it lingers on Louis for a moment, scintillating.

“We’re gathered here today,” begins the lawyer in a quiet yet deafening voice, “For the case of Submissive Louis Tomlinson against Dominant Blue Jones. As the court knows, mere months ago, Mr. Tomlinson here was imprisoned for utter disobedience and violence towards his former Dominant, my client. Mere months ago, Mr. Tomlinson willingly admit guilty all above charges. Yet today, he wishes to review the case, all while charging my client with unfathomable accuses. Of course, my duty here is not to recap the case. However, the above came to my realization that the entire situation is peculiar. How would a person, who never refused arrest, court, nor imprisonment, who was caught red-handed, decide to play the victim all of a sudden?”

Louis gasps. The man is twisting the facts around, and in turn attempting to gain sympathy for Jones. Frowning at the ridiculous accusation, Louis catches slight commotion out of the corner of his view, the officers from prison are scoffing hard, muttering curses under their breath. Louis could sense their death glares all the way from there. The man keeps an easy smile on his face, merely goes on.

“Dear Jury, you must know the depth of trauma my client,” He pauses to gesture to a smug Jones at the back of the room, sitting in his cage picking his nails. Louis sends him a glare, only to receive an ever larger grin back, “suffered through the whole ordeal. Besides the almost fatal head injury, which was given by the very Mr. Tomlinson, which costed my client a huge sum to treat, my client also suffered from emotional pressure and stress from coping with the loss of his former Submissive, whom he has been treating with the utmost respect these past years. Terrors and regret have been pushed on my client, which prevented him from his work and daily life, as well as the pursue for a future Submissive. I believe my client is the true victim here, scandalized by Mr. Tomlinson’s outrageous actions. Today, we will show you how Mr. Tomlinson is really not the innocent, vulnerable Submissive he puts himself to be, and to reclaim the reputation which should belong to my client.”

He sits down with a flourish, scribbling in a notepad. The defence barrister promptly stands up. He did the same thing as the man besides him, surveying the courtroom, yet the gaze he gives Louis is warm and welcoming. The ginger straightens his suit and tie with a casual confidence, almost lazy, determination shining behind his eyes. He then turns to the front, “Well, all bark no bite doesn't work in the courtroom always, gentlemen.” He begins, pausing for effect, “We, followers of the rule of law, strictly adhere to evidence for proving a point. Today, I will present the court and the jury with a myriad of evidence which proves my client’s innocence, and in turn, Mr. Jones’ evident crimes. Yes, my client did not refuse when he was arrested, and even admitted to the apparent crimes he was accused of. However, he did all of such with reason, a very painful, soul-wrenching reason. As a matter of fact, in the almost whole entirety of him staying with his former Dominant, Mr. Jones, he has been abused daily, to a worrisome extent.”

There are some gasps of horror scattering the audience. The judge looks up from where he is reading the case file, and frowns. Louis bites his lip, and listens on. His solicitor clears his throat, gesturing his palm about, “When you are worrying for your own life and safety each day, when presented with an opportunity to escape from the wrath of a monster, you would take the chance immediately. Whatever it may be, even if it means imprisonment. That is exactly what my client did. Not the most straightforward choice it was, but the only light at the end of the tunnel back then. My client only decided to take a risked break in his personal healing journey to charge Mr. Jones today because he was recently threatened, by none other than Mr. Jones himself.”

The room stills, every person holding their respective breath for what the lawyer has left to say. So he continues, “Besides proving my client’s innocence and Mr. Jones’ crimes, we still have one mission left today, which is to further charge Mr. Jones with his questionable business with Submissives. According to our sources, he has been dabbling in trafficking and illegal dungeon businesses lately, which further proves his involvement in harming my client’s person. Of course, we are armed with evidence, which I will showcase to the court duly. Thank you.”

He smiles politely and assuredly, sitting back down on his chair, and begins laying out each document he possibly requires. The judge looks up once again, aiming a nod at the other lawyer, “Offence team. You could begin questioning the witnesses.” He speaks gruffly.

“Calling first witness, Submissive Mr. Louis Tomlinson.” A lady calls from under the stage.

Louis is led out of his cell, the restraints on his wrists making him clumsy. He stumbles onto the witness stand and sits down. The offence lawyer stands up from his spot with a casual ease, meeting Louis’ eyes with a steady, heated gaze. One that almost makes Louis squirm under, but with determination, the Submissive resisted.

Louis swore to honesty, nodded yes to confirmations about his identity, then the questioning starts.

“How long have you been with my client, Mr. Tomlinson?” The offence lawyer begins in a crisp, icy voice.

“About three years, give or take.” Louis does not let hesitation take over and spares no moment to reply. He finds his own lawyer aiming an encouraging nod at him.

“Did you willingly move in and agree to sign the contract with my client?” The lawyer asks then.

Louis has no idea where these questions are heading, so he says with the same honesty. “Yes.”

“Were you happy with your relationship with my client at that time?” The lawyers continues on. His drawl holds a superior undertone to it, dripping with a stern hardness.

Louis begins, “Yes, but -- ” Before he is abruptly interrupted.

“Yes. Or no, Mr. Tomlinson.”

Louis forces himself to release a low breath, huffing, and clutches his fists into his palm underneath the shield of the witness stand. With a grit of his teeth, he allows, reluctantly, “ _Yes_.”

The blonde’s mouth twitches into something that resembles an almost smile. “Hmm, and how would you describe it back then?”

“He was sweet, at first. We dated casually, for a while, before settling into a BDSM arrangement.” Louis says, and it is the truth. Not so much, though, afterwards.

“Is the contract agreed on both parties? Between you and my client?” The lawyer asks.

“Yes.”

“And how would you describe your usual interactions with my client, given it sexual or not?” Missing not a beat, the man questions. And when Louis struggle to give an immediate answer, he presses, yet in the even mutter of his,“Do you like it rough, Mr. Tomlinson? You like a lot of manhandling?”

Louis flinches at the crude words, shifting uneasily in his seat, breath rushing out faster than normal. His solicitor shoots up from the front, bellowing out, “Objection! Inappropriate content.”

The offence lawyer’s gaze doesn’t waver from Louis, nor does he wait for the judge to speak. “Let me rephrase do you prefer sexual activities that exerts a higher than average level of physical pressure on your person,” He says, voice in a quick, low murmur, “Mr. Tomlinson?”

Louis reminds himself to answer truthfully, despite cheeks heating up from the various stares in the courtroom,“Uh, in a way?” He sees his solicitor nodding at him.

“To which extent? Say, for example, does it include, excuse me for being crude, no prep? Being thrown on surfaces? No lube? Scratching?” He demands, one question chasing the former one the previous with heat.

“Yes and yes. And we tried the other two, but I said I didn't like it.” Louis calmly tells him.

“Hmm, deliberately?” The lawyer’s eyes drop briefly to his files, “According to my client, is it true that you two sometimes practice denial? Meaning that despite you say stop, you actually want to proceed?”

“Yes, but not when I safeword!” Louis is quick to defend himself.

The lawyer does not further that point, his cool grey eyes hold a look Louis cannot decipher with the light in the courtroom falling over where the man is standing. As if out of the blue, he changes tracks, “The offensive side claims that you were subjected to sexual harassment from multiple people. Could you tell me more about it?” He asks.

That piece of information was written in his witness account, Louis knows. The lawyer makes him say it again just because he can.

“Right,” Louis gulps, “There were these conventions held about once a fortnight, which we would brought to place like a sex dungeon. There were always a lot of people coming in. Me and the other Submssives would be put in a room, chained and gagged, and left to men and sometimes even women. They’d do all sort of things on us, treat us as if rag-dolls without caring how we react. It went on and on for a few hours before we would be brought to the dungeons, where some men would bathe us just by spraying water. Usually there would be blood. Some of us, including me, were occasionally chained in private rooms for individual bookings. Afterwards, the men would always collect money on the spot.”

“Right. Thank you, Mr. Tomlinson,” The man says brusquely, “You talked about a sex dungeon. Do you know where it is?”

“No,” says Louis in defeat, “We were always made sure to be blindfolded. We travelled in this big van.”

“Then do you recognize the surroundings of the dungeon? For example, how the entrance or the room looked like?”

Louis hesitates, “I don’t think so. My mind was always fuzzy despite being there every month, as those were not pleasant and painless times. The room was plain, with multiple chains screwed on the four walls. Other than that, there were not much unique features.”

“How about the people, then? Would you be able to recognize them, given the chance?”

“There were hundreds of them,” Louis exclaims, “Even if some are regulars, it couldn’t be possible for me to remember, except maybe one or two.”

“So is it safe to say that you don’t always know who you are interacting with? How about your own former Dominant, my client? Was he there?”

“He was always the one collecting cash. But yes, he would...use...me sometimes.” Louis says with a grimace.

“But if you don’t actually remember what was going on most of the time, and the clients you were with, you can’t be absolutely sure that it was my client treating you, can you?” Louis now knows what the twinkle in the lawyer’s eyes was meant for.

“Objection! Leading comment!” Louis’ lawyer bolts from his chair.

“Objection denied.” The judge grunts. Louis chews his lips in anxiety.

“No, I can’t.” He sighs.

The lawyer pays him a pointed look, blinking with a triumphant ease. He picks up another file on the table. “Mr. Tomlinson, according to your claim on evidence 14b, is it true that the incident on 28/9/2015 which landed my client in the hospital because of your actions occurred out of self-defence?”

“Very.” Louis nods fervently.

“Weren't there only the two of you, you and my client, in the room in question?”

“Yes.”

“So with no other witness, how could you prove that it is self-defence, instead of utter obedience and plain attack?” The lawyer arches a blonde eyebrow.

“Well, if that cannot prove my innocence, neither can it prove _his_ innocence.” Louis retorts.

“My client? Sure, but it is, indeed, him who got 12 stitches on the forehead and you, who got your fingerprint on broken pieces of vase.”

Louis opens his mouth to protest, but no words come out. The corner of the blond man’s lift up into a chilling smirk, which flashes across his face when he turns to face the judge, “No further questions, your honour.” He promptly sits down.

Louis’ lawyer stands up. He gives Louis a reassuring nod. Louis nods back.

“Well, Mr. Tomlinson, just a few simple questions.” He begins, “How did you feel when you first got together with Mr. Jones?”

“I was content about iit. For a while, I thought he’d be the one. For me. He acted like a nice, kind Dom who was protective and caring.”

“And how long did that last?”

Louis pretends to ponder over the fact, “ About six months or so.”

“How did you feel towards him afterwards?”

“After that period of time, he began to change. It was bearable at first and I was in too deep, also already signed a contract with him, I didn’t make the choice to leave him immediately. However, his demeanor completely turned an opposite after he secured me as his Sub. After that, he began sending me to the dungeon and demanded I give him sexual favours or else he’d hurt me badly. I lived in constant fear and betrayal towards him.”

“For how long have you been feeling that way?” The lawyer asks next.

“At least for two years until I went to prison. Before that, I wouldn’t dare to leave him. I couldn’t as the mansion has strong security. And I witnessed Jones beating another Sub nearly to death when she tried something similar.” Louis grimaces at the particular memory. Blue was brutal and ruthless towards that girl. Louis still remembers the blank and utterly gone look in the girl’s eyes, arms flailing in the way to silently beg for mercy and liberation, as he was ushered away along with other Subs that day. Later he heard the girl had attempted to steal a floorplan of the dungeons. He admired her desperate bravery, despite the barmy plan.

“Thank you,” The lawyer says, then turns to face the court to look pointedly at everyone, “Dear jury, please note that everyone is allowed to back out from a relationship. BDSM is not enslavement.”

“Tell us why you admitted to the crimes in court last year?” He asks Louis.

Louis takes a deep breath, and says, “Well, last year, I was on the brink of insanity because I was subjected to daily abuse over a long period of time. I was heart-broken, and physically harmed to a point that I might bleed to death one day. I did not what the end and what path I could take from there. I saw a chance, and I hit my abuser when he was coming onto me one day, and I stayed out of his touch. When he brought us to court, the only thing I could see is freedom away from him, no matter where I could seek it. I’d very much rather be in prison, accused of a crime I never did, in exchange of freedom from his life-threatening treatments. Because I knew if I ever went back to him, I was basically putting myself in mortal peril.”

“Do you have evidence that satisfy your claim?” The lawyer asks.

“Yes.” Louis musters up all of his sincerity. “Mr. Jones openly admitted to me that what he has done is abuse, especially on the very night I attacked him. And we do have solid proof for that. I also gave a testament on the multiple injuries I suffered from him, there are pictures taken. And I also believe that there are countless of Subs like me, who has similar scars made by identical torture objects by the identical person.” His side will present said evidence later on.

“One last question, Mr. Tomlinson, is your abuser, which you claim, present in this room right now?” His lawyer steps aside from blocking anyone’s view.

Louis meets his eyes. “Yes.” He says confidently.

“Can you point us to him?” Louis nods yes, then points to the far corner in the courtroom, right where Jones sit.

“Thank you.” His lawyer bows at the judge, waving his hand in a conclusive manner, “That is all of my questions.”

Next called up onto the stage is none other than Blue. Several court guards shuffles to the cell holding the Dom, and bring the man out with cuffs attached to both his wrists. Jones hobbles up the witness stand, his steps proud and obnoxious. A guard stands behind him. The man lean down to squeeze into the uncomfortable plastic blue chair, and fixes the microphone with both hands.

“Offence, you may begin.”  The judge says without looking up from his notes.

The offence barrister stands up again, before bowing to the court. “Right, Mr. Jones, let’s begin with the very incident that landed us into the court. Will you give us a recount of what happened on 28/9/2015?”

“Sure,” The man says, “I was coming back home from work as usual. Then I went upstairs to look for my Sub, he is my favourite after all, to let off some steam. I found him in his room, reading a book. Then I walked towards him, plucking the book from his hands, then began to kiss him. He was startled, but none other than the usual when I tend to surprise him. I tried getting it on with him, it was going well I’d say in the first few moments. There were banters, both normal and a bit on the private side. I thought he liked the attention. He was all moaning and stuff. But all of a sudden I felt him pushing me off. Thinking that he was only teasing me, I went chasing him, but then he somehow got a hold of a lamp in the room and outright _attacked_ me with it!” The man sounds outraged and affronted. He points a finger at his head as if that provide any evidence, “I was in pain, and hurt, and bleeding from the wound. And then he dashed out of the room and escaped.”

The man is good at telling it. The most infuriating things is that he managed to tell the truth, only twisting certain words around. Sure, Louis was moaning, but he was moaning form pain not pleasure! But of course, it is likely pre-memorized script.

“That must be a traumatic experience for you, Mr. Jones. It is not everyday that you were brutally harmed by your loved ones, isn’t that right? So, Mr. Jones, how would you say you usually treat Mr. Tomlinson?”

Louis listens on as the man sprouts some more bullshit. The blonde lawyer brings out blank evidence on bank account, proving that Jones has never indeed been involved in any hidden business which would land him with large sum of suspicious money. He carried on to disprove the man of mistreating Submissives by offering up floor plans of all properties under his man, backed up with witness account on several police raids. The sex dungeon claim dissolves itself with practically no solid witness proof.

The defence lawyer quickly stands up to the stage. After asking the man a few questions, he brings up a video depicting a dark alley. He turns the man and says, “If that’s what you claim, then, Mr. Jones, do you by any chance know and have connections with a man by the name Iero, Frank?”

A light of recognition flashes through the eyes of Jones. The man can’t act to save his life, Louis decides. Jones quickly straightens himself and spits out an irritated “No”. As if expecting the very answer, the lawyer says nothing but presses play.

By the bare moonlight shining, Blue shows himself into the screen, unmistakable with half of his prominent features recognizable under the camera. In the witness stand, the current Blue fits in his seat, a frown clouding his face. Louis sits up to watch, his interest piqued.

Another man soon enters the screen. With a start, Louis finds a memory slamming into his mind. _The dark corner in the Dominant wing back in the prison...The Dominant he recognizes..._ The very man on the video. Louis’ eyes widen, as does Blue’s, who is now fidgeting with his cuffs.

The court watches as the second Dominant on the screen handed Blue a paper bag, speaking with a low, quick urgency. The video-Blue smirked, and reached into the bag, pulling out none other than a thick wad of what looked like paper bills. Then, the camera picked the right time to zoom in, though with a trembling hold, at the object in the man’s hands. It was paper bills, hundreds of them, the moonlight bouncing off its reflective edges.

The camera rattled more. But the voices. Loud and clear.

_“How about your own sub? Isn’t he lovely too, from what you said?”_

Iero’s gruffy voice spoke from the video.

_“I believe he isn’t trained well enough. Look, he gave me this scratch here on my forearm this morning. But if I let him go someday, he’ll be worth a lot of money.”_

Blue’s distinctive voice replied.

_“I’m glad that you agreed to participate in this little project of mine again, sir. You really brings in a lot of money.”_

_“Well, I was expecting you to make my poor lonely mansion into a dungeon in the first place. You get what you want, and I get mine. And we share the money. Isn’t it how it works?”_

The footage cuts itself soon after that, but not before the screen zooms into Blue’s speeding car, the license plate flickering under the twinkling sky until it faded away, dissolved in the distance.

The audience is brought back to reality by the lawyer’s voice, holding up another piece of evidence which is passed to the judge quickly. “Jury, here you see clearly that the car belongs to none other than Mr. Blue Jones here. Mr. Iero, the accomplice witness, was willing to testify for his presence partaken in the video. We will call upon him later. As we can deduct from this piece of evidence, Mr. Jones undoubtedly had connections with Mr. Iero, and even had underground capital exchanges with the latter. This not only overthrows Mr. Jones’ claim of honesty and innocence, but also further proves the possibility of suspicious business involving Submissives. By the way, this video was given up by a Mr. Payne, Liam. Who worked as a cook at Mr. Jones’ mansion until last year.”

Soon, Liam is called onto upon the stage, answering all the questions thrown at him truthfully. Apparently he has agreed to provide the previous crucial piece of evidence in exchange for a shorter sentence in prison. Fair, Louis decides. He is more surprised the man, whom he barely know, managed to take a video to record his boss’ crimes _and_ decided to offer it. Regardless of ulterior motives, Louis considers thanking the man personally once he is out of prison. Whether or not, his actions inadvertently play a large part of proving Jones’ guilt.

He zones out after that. Subs after Subs are called onto the witness stand, shaking, some of them Louis recognizes with a wince, to his surprise, seeing old and barely healing bruises spotting their skin. They are asked almost the same questions, by both the blonde lawyer and Louis’ solicitor. Some get teary-eyed at one point, and Louis’ doesn’t blame them, some of them perhaps got it worse than himself, and regardless, those who are sitting here in court with him today are those who held on enough to make it out sane. They all point to Blue in the cells at the end. This is to create a dramatic effect and lead people towards the one true culprit.

By the time Louis is aware of the buzz surrounding him again, the judge has called both lawyers to make their final speech. Only then does Louis lift his head and looks for brunette curls in the audience seats, and once he spots them, a peculiar warmth begins setting in him. It spreads from his stomach, up his throat, to his cheeks, before finally leaving a tingling touch all over his skin. He feels as if a breath has caught in his throat, bursting to be released, yet he doesn’t want it to. Louis smiles, reckoning he likes this feeling, he wonders what it means to be strangely calm while every cell in his being to ready to jump. The man is not looking at him, instead whispering lowly to Niall, and nodding at the solicitor.

Louis looks to the solicitor then, watching as the man blinks, then relaxes into his seat. He makes a move to reach into his bag to pull out an object, exchanging a look with his assistant. Then, he stands to his full height.

“Hold on. Your honour, the defence team would like to apply for presenting an additional evidence, 28a.” He says, holding the object, which Louis realizes as a USB drive, above his head.

The ever-slight frown on the judge’s brows deepens, as he leans in to speak into the mic, “Defence, why did you not present this piece of evidence in advance? I hope you have full knowledge that it might not be approved now.”

“Yes, my sincerest apologies, your honour, I am aware of that.” The apologetic look on the solicitor is only a bit fake, “However, as we only acquired this piece of pivotal evidence mere days ago, it left no time for my team to have it approved under normal procedures.”

“Well,” snaps the judge in a guttural voice, “Let’s see it, then?”

“Here, your honour,” He hands the USB to an officer, “in the disk contains a video, captured in the very cells in Lennox Prison by none other than the CCTV. As the jury at remember, in my opening stance I mentioned my client was recently visited by his former Dominant in prison, namely Mr. Jones, and was threatened to the point which he felt immediately harmed. This video, is exactly what went on in that meeting. This video alone, would defiantly overthrow any claim of innocence on Mr. Jones.”

The video is played on a large projector in the courtroom, so that everyone could see it. Louis tries to avoid the screen, instead he watches as several reporters in the audience stand, whom he has just noticed, scribbling furiously into their notepads, whispering madly among themselves. He didn't know there would be reporters present, but he presumes his case is indeed big enough for that. The sounds from the video fill the room occasionally, stirring gasps here and there. By the time the video ended, there is a grim look on the judge’s face, while strangers in the room begin throwing Louis sympathetic glances.

On the other side of the courtroom, the blonde lawyer is whispering furiously at his client.

“Why didn’t I know of this? Who on earth advised you to go visit him in prison?” Through gritted teeth, the lawyer seethes to his apparently trembling-in-utter-fear client.

“I paid that guy!” The Dom all but growls, as if that can single-handedly solve everything, “I don’t know! Fix this!”

“And your connections? Why didn’t you tell me?” The lawyer very nearly hurls a file at Jones.

A loud warning from the judge shuts them up.

“You absolute imbecile.” The lawyer is livid. His posture slumps the first time in the afternoon. Louis is almost sure he hears snickers in the court.

After a short recess for the jury to consent to a decision, people begin retreating back to the room in a swarm. The judge waits for the audience to settle impatiently, then calls upon the jury for their vote. Louis’ shoulders tenses as his stomach twists itself. Despite what Harry and his solicitor telling him about the high possibility for their win, it still comes to a time of anxiety when he has to actually hears the judgement. The judge call a short recess for the jury to make their decision, so people begin retreating into the back room in a swarm.

A leader, late in his fifties with greying hair streaking on his head, stands up from the jury stance. He clears his throat, reaching for a piece of paper in his hands.

“On the account of Submissive Louis Tomlinson causing bodily harm to former Dominant Blue Jones,” He reads out loud, pausing for effect, “the jury voted an invalid. This is because Mr. Tomlinson acted out of self-defence.”

Louis lets out a breath of relief he hasn’t known that he is holding in. A chorus of celebratory shouts roars from the audience seats, the sharp cries in victory pierce through the hanging atmosphere of the courtroom. Several people jump up from their seats (likely the officers from prison who’s been rooting for Louis), a low buzz swirls up the air in the room along as the audience (random reporters) start to talk and gasp among themselves. Out of his peripheral view, Louis vaguely sees his former Dominant banging his fist against the bench he is sitting on, as a grim and stabbing look clouds his blonde lawyers’ features. To his left, though, sits his current Dominant, a blinding beam cracked upon his face, as Niall hugs and clings to his side in excitement.

It is then does Louis acknowledges his own face is stretched by an identical smile. The weight sitting in his chest for god knows how long has finally been lifted. Louis breathes in once. Twice, as the whistles and laughs around him fade into white noise. It is quite anti-climatic, as Louis looks back later on. The stress and the gloomy days formed a balloon within him, suffocating him and sucking the life out of him. And now it is as if the balloon has sudden been popped, except that Louis doesn’t jump from the noise. His gut clenches tight, he places a palm over his erratically fluttering heart, the back of his eyes burning.

“Thank you, jury. Now, by the power bestowed on me by the council, the court now overthrows the previous judgement on case 15520/4 which ruled the defendant as guilty. I right-by announce that Submissive Louis Tomlinson is innocent. His actions will no longer be counted as attack but instead self-defence. As a result, his prison statement will be lifted immediately. Compensation will be discussed later on. I am fairly sure that several accounts on Mr. Jones’ actions will be regarded as illegal. Mr. Jones, please be prepared that officers will contact you and your lawyers shortly. And now, Mr. Tomlinson will be released duly.” The judge stands up, and whips around his long black cloak. His features remain neutral, bordering on cold, yet Louis does not miss the wink in his eyes cast towards his direction. “Case closed.” The judge says.

Court guards hurry to unlock Louis’ cell. Louis hears someone calling his name. A shiver as if warm water cascades down his back. He stands shakily, and dives towards the door of the cell. There he is, Harry, smiling at him like he is admiring the sun. But Louis is sure that his Dom is the one who is the sun. He is the only one Louis could see now. He takes in the Dom’s shining green eyes, which has always reminds him of a bright meadow, to the proud grin breaking onto his pink lips, the stark curls against his pale cheeks, which Louis likes to touch in secret. He couldn’t have imagined the twist of his entire world on a single person. The door unlocks with a click. Harry opens his arms.

In all literal sense, Louis jumps right into his arms. His legs circle themselves around Harry’s hip, the latter’s arms securing his lower back, wrapping him up into a tight embrace, their foreheads touching each other’s. Louis twists himself impossibly tight into his Dominant’s space, as if they touch any closer they’d melt into each other. Louis gasps soundly, the air burning his throat, burning his insides, burning up all the pend-up heat and pure joy in his chest that sets his soul ablaze.

“I love you. Thank you.” He half-sobs into Harry’s neck. He feels the thundering of pulse there.

He is abruptly pushed back as hot lips attach themselves onto his. Louis’ eyelids slip shut. Lingering fingers move across his burning cheeks, it is then does Louis realizes that he has been crying. He delves into the kiss, pushing his all into it and hoping the tangling of tongues and saliva could somehow conveys the light he feels in the centre of his heart, yet he knows it will never be enough. But they, _him and Harry_ , they could be enough. He tastes his own salty tears on Harry’s lips, the sweetness and tingles on the very lips he knows he no longer has to resist to kiss. His heart now seeks out for the person right in front of him.

A whole new world, he reminds himself.

“God, yes. I love you,” Harry rasps into his mouth their they momentarily detach, only to come together a fraction of second later, “Love you too.”

 

/* /* /* /* /*

 

They walk out of the court building, Harry’s arms carefully wrapped around Louis’ suit-clad waist, Louis fitting under Harry’s arms as if a piece of jigsaw puzzle put in place, towards the car park, with Niall in tow.

They reach Harry’s white Benz, only to find Zayn half-leaning on the side of the vehicle, awaiting them with an easy smile on his face. He holds up two fingers to wave as he sees the three approach, as the grin on his lisp widens. Harry stops in front of his own car, a smile tugging at his own lips.

“I thought you should be at the prison?” He asks, watching Niall bounces over to give his husband a chaste kiss, his tone teasing despite the amusement swimming in his eyes.

“Yeah, well, Bryan could manage a few hours on his own,” Zayn shrugs and replies, holding his arm out palm facing upwards, “Keys?” His eyebrows lift in a manner as if the answer is obvious.

Harry’s smile turns into a faint smirk. Using his free hand to reach over to his opposite pocket while never letting Louis go, he tugs out said keys and drops them on Zayn’s palm, which closes around them into a tight fist. “I don't usually drive for him, y’know,” He tells Louis, then to Harry, “So you'd better appreciate my efforts, Styles.”

Harry fakes a two-finger salute, grinning mockingly at Zayn, “Well, it is to my utmost honour, Malik.”

The man shakes his head, chuckling. “Well get in, will you, lovebirds,” He unlocks the car, even holding out the door for them. He must be in an immensely good mood. “You too, love.” He tells his own Sub, getting in himself, but not before holding out the door for Niall as well and shielding the overhead frame.

Harry lets Louis into the backseat, following in closely. Louis shifts back to him into their previous tight embrace unconsciously. A fond smile forms on Harry’s lips as he circles a strong arm around Louis, as Zayn starts the car, Niall’s hand in his own free one.

“Where are we going?” Louis asks curiously, leaning into Harry.

“Since you're getting released, we’ll be going back to the prison to get your belongings and get the release papers signed. Then we’re going back to my place so you can settled in,” Harry tells him. Then he breathes in sharply, as if he's just suddenly realized something, “Hold on. I just assumed that you'd be moving in with me since I’m your Dom now and you don't really have a place to stay and all. But it's all in my head and it slipped my mind to ask,” He hurries to explain, licking his lips sheepishly, “You – Do you actually want that?”

“Yes, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you for offering,” Louis nods, smiling sweetly. Harry releases a relieved sigh

“Good,” He says, “Yeah. That's good. I was worried there for a moment.”

Louis laughs, heart swelling to twice its size but it is not entirely because Harry - _his Dom_ \- tends to be a little silly at times. “So, what's your house like?”

“I’d tell you but I want to be mysterious now,” Harry says, “I guess you’ll just see it later.”

Louis tries to give him the puppy eyes. But Harry is having none of it, so he shakes his head petulantly, “Nuh-uh. You could just wait for like, an hour or so more? But I could tell you that Zayn and Niall actually lives very nearby. They're over almost all the time, in fact.”

“Yes,” Zayn confirms, “So we’ll see each other plenty often in the future, Louis, I'm sure. Well, _I’ll_ see you and Harry. Unlike me, Niall is only there for the food.”

“Hey!” Niall protests, “That is not all of the truth.”

“That's 90% of the truth,” Zayn retorts. Niall thinks over it for a moment, then reluctantly shrugs in agreement.

Louis watches their exchange with an amused look on his face. He cannot help it. They are too cute. He nudges Harry, when he gets an ‘Hmm?’ back, he asks quietly, “You cook?”

“Yeah, I admit I do make a mad lasagna,” Harry says, puffing out his chest slightly, “I used to work in the bakery, y’know.”

Zayn mutters something under his breath which sounds highly suspiciously like “You’ve told me that a dozen time already”. Harry ignores him, while Louis giggles behind his palm. “I love lasagna.” He tells Harry.

“Yeah? I'll cook it for you, then.” Harry promises, the fond smile he gets on his face never wavering since the moment they stepped out of court.

“You could take a nap, Louis. It'd be a while until we reach Harry’s.” Zayn suggests. And Louis suddenly feels very tired, the adrenaline from all the interrogation and nervousness from before designing, replaced by the post exhaustion.

“C’mon,” Harry says softly, noticing Louis’ sudden fatigue beyond his natural giddiness. He pats his own thighs, gesturing Louis to lie down. Louis thanks him shyly, laying his head down on Harry’s lap, curling into the man almost instantly. Harry, unsure of where to put his hands, just drapes them over Louis’ torso protectively.

Louis is out like a light moments after. Harry watches him sleep, his face hidden into Harry’s abdomen leaving only the peripheral visible, a peaceful smile stretched onto his lips. A wave of pleasure runs through Harry, as he hovers his hands over the still figure of his Sub, never sure what to do yet so sure that he's making the right decision. It is surreal. He’s got a lap full of pliant, amazing Sub, he wants to caress the man all over, simultaneously he isn't sure how since Louis is like precious china to him. His heart thumps in his chest, he feels like a knight who has conquered everything.

The car rides on, shuddering through the ripples and bumps on the ground, leading them to their destination. What is ahead shall never be known, but shall always be expected in optimism. “You too, Harry, take a nap if you want.” Zayn says from the front, “It's not like I volunteered to drive for a whole an hour and half just to let you two have some alone closure, yeah?”

Harry looks up. “Thanks a lot, man, I mean it.” He says genuinely, “I'm not particularly tired yet.”

Zayn says nothing in return, but Harry could see a hint of smile pulling at the corners of his friend’s lips through the front mirror.

 

  
Louis wakes up to tender yet strong fingers carding through his scalp, and faint voices of people conversing quietly among themselves.

He blinks open his eyes, making a small noise as he is gently risen from his small slumber. He flips over, and Harry’s face comes into view. The man has begun slowly trailing a hand down his Sub’s face a while ago as they near his house to wake him him, so as not to startle him.

“Get up, darling, we’re here.” Harry tells him, helping him sit up. Louis’ eyes light up at the mention of Harry’s house, eager to see the place.

They hop down the car. So as to leave the couple to their own, Zayn and Niall parked the car in the garage and wave a quiet goodbye to Harry and begins walking down to their own house a few distance away. Harry leads Louis up his porch, linking fingers with him. Unlocking the door with his key, he turns to Louis, grinning down at him, eyes twinkling.

“Welcome home, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *IMPORTANT* Anyways, please read the author's notes which i'm posting up very soon in a separate chapter. i'll be talking about a few very important things, regarding this fic.
> 
> So this chapter is extra long to make up for my (too) long absence *hides behind a corner* and i sincerely thank you all for your non-stop support, and patience with me
> 
> Please leave some love and comments. i love y'all :))
> 
> p.s. and also, please forgive me for any inaccuracy about the court stuffs, i only know what i knew from tv series haha. if you find anything wrong just please shout them at me, i'll do all i can to make this realistic. I also know that such a detailed court scene was not necessary but I had fun writing it, so just, ah, humour me.
> 
> p.p.s. if you catch that movie reference you can basically marry me
> 
> p.p.p.s. oh yes, and have a wild guess at who are my inspirations behind the judge, and both lawyers :D


	23. extended A/N

THIS IS NOT THE END OF THIS FIC

 

Okay so i got the important thing out *phew*

Hello !! First of all I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks to all of you who made it till this point in the fic, and bothered to read this separate A/N. I had some important notes regarding the story that I must address and it is quite lengthy, so I decided to put it up in a separate chapter. To not alarm any of you, I (sorta) have to bad news to bring.

Right, so, as most of you might have already took notice to the chapter title in the latest actual chapter, you’d see that it is labelled as “Finale”, which is very true, the story has come an end to its first part - “Solace”. As I have planned long ago before I started writing the fic, this story will have two parts, first one namely “Solace”, and the second part - Well, why don’t y’all take a wild guess? :D

Normally I don’t prefer speaking explicitly of the so-called “theme” of a fic, as a) I often write fics that does not carry a particular message. I write only to tell a story, and there isn’t much theme in that, right? and b) I’d like my readers to think for themselves. Everyone perceives things differently. If you think that is the message of the story, then that is it.

Funnily though the second part actually has a sorta theme which I mainly wish to illustrate how Louis slowly recovers from his past traumas and learn to confide and trust in Harry, and how the two of them falls more in love and becomes closer, and more intimate. It’ll be light-hearted basically, just the two of them getting used to a good life.

Though, that is the main focus. I actually have not much idea how to go on with the fic, such as major events and such. All along I have been writing chapter after chapter with not much space to spare in order to really think about how things are going to proceed. (It’s my first time ever writing an actual fic, spare me please.) Therefore, in the meantime, I have to take some time to sort through ideas before delivering.

Another thing, is that I am currently preparing my Big Exam. It’s my last year in highschool, and we all know about that exhausting and gruesome exam that we have to sit in before getting into uni. So right now I’m super busy and barely staying sane 24/7. BUT,

I’m /not/ putting this fic on hold, /nor/ am I going on a hiatus. I’m just saying that I need some time to come up with ideas, (Guys if you have anything you particularly want to read, just tell me in the comments !! I need all the help I could get.) and that I may not be able to write as regularly as before. I barely managed to get the last chapter out, you see, Sixth Year is really killing me.

In the meantime, I decided to put the fic in the “Complete” status, just to put it at rest. And also I know a lot of people are waiting to read the fic but haven’t because it is a WIP. However, I am going to add chapters occasionally. The fic is NOT finished and I am going to add the second part right behind.

At the same time, all chapters are going through editing, so I may be occasionally updating former chapters too.

That being said, I’d like to thank you guys so much for giving this fic a chance. Thanks for waiting for me and helping me out in every way possible. You’re a wonder. I know my first few chapters were quite a mess. Without all the lovely comments and ideas, and kudos and reads, my fic will never exist and grow like this. I won’t do a shout out but I know those of you who has been particularly supportive, really, thank you a lot. 

Also, I’m giving all my thanks to Fanny, whom I dedicate this fic to, for supporting me so much through this thing and for always believing in me. You’re always here for me and you’ve no idea how much it means to me. I love you a lot.

(Why am I talking like the fic has already been complete ?? It has not ?!) I’m ending this here. This A/N has got ridiculously long, dear merlin, I hope I don’t bore you out.

P.S. If you have any ideas regarding how the fic is going to go, or just to rant or whatever thoughts you have, do tell me in the comments !!

P.P.S. Or just generally come talk to me on my tumblr? (lourryalrightee)

P.P.P.S. Or if you like, on my snapchat too. (lourryalrightee)

tl;dr : First part of fic is done with. Updates may be (even more) irregular because a) i need time to think about what i want to do with the second part and b) i need to work harder on my studies and c) just a mental break


	24. future update plans + some serious and heartfelt words + thank you

THIS IS STILL NOT THE END OF THIS FIC THINGY

 

Okay,,,I don't know how to word this.

I've got some very very very important things to say, regarding the **fate of this fic** , **my (fanfic) writing future** , and esp **the fandom (larry)** in general.

It has been so long and I don't even know if anyone bother with this fic (or me in general) anymore. I come bringing news but I'm not entirely sure if they are good or not...? I hate being a disappointment or a failure to success.

Right, with a very heavy heart, I might as well get on with it. 

First of all, I can't say for sure whether I will be or when I will be updating this fic with its second part. There are several reasons and good things though :

1) Firstly, I just have to thank all of you for reading the fic. I know I've said it somewhere before, that this fic started out as a silly idea and being the amateur writer I am, I just went with it with almost no class, no style, no skills at all. It's almost embarrassing that the beginning of the fic was so messy. And I posted the prologue with absolutely NO expectation about it whatsoever. (I remember I was at the airport at the time it published and collected like 40 kudos in mere few hours and I immediately cried to my lovely friend in gratitude about it). I had no idea the fic would even get reads, because of the alternative theme and my general suckiness in writing good stuff back when I was like 15/16.

2) I know this fic is not the best. Trust me, I know. To be very honest, bdsm is not a very popular trope. And everyone reading it would probably expect hardcore smut. A few months after starting the fic, I realized that I never ever want to write smut just for the sake of it. Hence the very slow burn style of my fics. I don't even think I'd be comfortable with writing the *sex scene* even it is 22 chapters into the fic now. Maybe it's the demisexual thing. I don't know. But a few chapters into the fic I basically lost the initial spark of interest I had in this bdsm dynamic. But, nonetheless, I wrote on.

_[Skip the next part if you don't want to read rant about my tendency and reasons to write very very eventual smut]_

3) I just generally refuse to put in a sex scene if people just met each other for some time. I mean this on general terms with all ships. Even those where people have known each other for like 10 years but never dated. I just think, personally, again maybe it's the demisexual in me, that it should be sprout out of deep love instead of lust/sexual tension because it is a very intimate thing. It's not really about "being ready" or not (even though of course you have to be ready), but I just won't read/write any smut scene if I feel like it is too spontaneous or happens out of nowhere. It's rather pointless in the greater view

_[ok read on]_

4) Can you guys believe I've never ever looked at my kudos count and comments count and word count all this time writing this fic? But it's true. I only knew it is 100K + because some lovely person told me. And I also only roughly guessed it is close to 1000 kudos. But, very well, I finally did look at that haha. Thank you guys !! I know how rare it is for someone to leave kudos here AO3. Even I don't leave kudos even for some of my fav fics. (So guilty tho)

5) **THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE A/N**. I don't want to participate in any fantasies about ship involving real life people anymore. There, I finally said it. I've always felt weird about this, and wondered why I could never really picture scenes, esp sex scenes. Because I don't want to think about some real life people that way. (Sorry  ><). I don't know if any of you understand. But to me, the boys are strangers and people I totally do not know. I don't think I'm intruding their relationship (yeah they're together obvi) but I feel like I have no right in thinking about them in not wholly clean terms. Sex scenes are a big no, please I don't even want to sexualize any of them like that. It is so weird and I feel so wrong. Other scenes, well, I just don't want to make them do anything any more haha. 

That's why I'm refraining from writing fanfics or "shipping" real life couples/people. Fictional characters, totally fine, because they are not real and I'm not doing anything if it is a figment of my imagination. But real people (esp those I don't know), nah, it is too much.

(I feel like these posts here[ [http://myqueerass.tumblr.com/search/shipping]](http://myqueerass.tumblr.com/search/shipping) explained it a whole lot clearer than me though. A tiny excerpt : " _However, expressions like “otp” and “i ship it” implies that the spectator fantasizes about the people in question (real life people), makes up their own ideas of what the relationship is like. It implies that the relationship is being fetishized and the feelings and integrity of the people within it aren’t as important as the feelings of the person fantasizing about them._ " )

That said though, I still believe Harry and Louis are indeed together (now or at some point maybe), but I won't go further than that to create my own fantasies about it. I know some people may be disappointed, or don't feel the same way, but I do, so I don't care. 

6) So. In the period of my unfortunate absence, I have been refining my writing skills and dabbling in other fandoms. I love writing. And I do see it as a way to express myself and it is one of my major ambitions. My writing is definitely going to grow, so much better than what you see in this fic. If some of you would not mind to stick by me, I'd very much welcome and appreciate that. :) Of course, I'm enjoying my fictional characters ships very much now. However, I won't disclose what fandom(S) I'm getting into, or the accounts I'm writing under now. If you happen to stumble upon them (and somehow by a miracle recognize me), congratulations and welcome !! <3

7) _**Probably the thing that is of your major concern**_ : Okay, so last A/N I did say that I'm not someone to abandon a fic. And despite the above concerns of my own, I did have ideas for the fate of Harry and Louis (in this specific fic), and even though I may not update with some full length chapters, I will gladly explain what they are in headcanon format so this fic can truly be at rest. :) 

 

I'll update with the contents in No.7 very soon !! xx

_P.S. So this is a kind of heavy and final A/N, so I'd really love to hear what you guys do think about this A/N or this fic in general. Just speak your minds, folks, even just to scream at me, I'd appreciate it very very much :))_

~~_(basically just me needing someone to talk to me)_ ~~

 ~ With Love, from Jaymi xo

(You guys probably didn't even know my name haha)

 


	25. Home (Finale)

I'd like everyone to know that the original planned second part of the fic was to be named " **HOME** " :))

here are what should happen :

\- basically in the chapter after Solace (Finale), Harry gave Louis a random tour around the house (he has a semi-big one, tbh houses in western countries are so big and cheap), and then they obviously had fun in it, and towards the night, they shared a gentle kiss before going to bed together

\- at first, Louis was a bit nervous (good nervous) about going to bed with Harry ("And this," Harry pushed open a door towards the end of the corridor to reveal a bedroom with a king sized bed...(cue lengthy description about the bedroom), "is going to be our bedroom." " _Our_ bedroom?" Louis gasped faintly, voice hovering above a whisper. With slightly parted lips, he gently untangled his hands from Harry's loose grasp and entered the room. He took small steps, spinning around the take in all the small details in the room, (cue some more detailed descriptions i can't think i'm so tired). "Yes, our bedroom," Harry walked up to him, circling his arms around Louis' slim waist, pressing a soft kiss behind his ears.)

\- and then their life really starts. they decided to take everything very slow, and they had their first date just going to the park, to ice-cream, to the movies, the picnic, and movie night with the lads (niall and zayn)

\- all they ever do are soft kisses, falling asleep on each other's laps, cuddling on the sofa, harry casually lounging on the couch with louis wrapped in a blanket burrito and harry propping up a book on louis' back

\- niall and zayn visiting and witnessing them cuddling on the bed, louis having a nap, and harry gently playing with his hair and massaging his scalp to wake him up

\- another excerpt about their new life together :

" 3 weeks into living with Louis, Harry has already discovered that the Submissive tends to be very giggly and cuddly when he’s sleepy. He always looks up at Harry with drooping eyelids and laughs at whatever Harry says even though it is not at all funny, which the man is becoming very amused of. His speech would be all slurred together until Harry has to pick him up from his lap and abandon whatever movie is playing on the tv, declaring that it is bedtime. Louis would usually put up a useless fight by kicking his legs around stubbornly, before Harry leans in to boop at his button nose (which louis would giggles even harder and looks up with love in his eyes) and whispers “I believe my prince needs his beauty sleep.” "

 

\- sometimes louis still have nightmares about blue

\- and the life before

\- and harry will wake up in a  second beside him and calm him down, telling him that it is alright now, blue is behind bars and _this_ , this is the reality. this is the happy ever after louis deserves, even if it is bittersweet at times. the past is just a pile of smoke, a pile of nightmares, and louis should see, that this is his reality, all this love belongs to him now

\- a short excerpt i had written originally for this second part but decided not to use, before deciding not the write the second part altogether : 

" Harry hates those tiny screams and whimpers that is escaping from Louis’ throat, every breaths that comes out leaves his body trembling, shivering like a loose leaf on a tree. Tears roll down his cheeks every so often, soaking Harry’s shirt wet. The panic cries masks the room’s dead silence.

Harry watches as his Submissive wiggles, tucking himself closer to him, burying his head deep into the minimal gap between them, and Harry could only be so relieved that at least Louis isn’t blocking him out like he worst feared. Every time he can hear the little “no no no’s” and “please” and “help” from the boy, his heart shatters all over again.

All he wants is to see his baby smile again, and to tell him he’s safe now, Harry won’t let anyone hurt him now. And every time Louis would choke on his sobs Harry hugs him impossibly closer, he knows Louis is strong, but he keeps on wondering God knows how long it will take for him to patch his baby up again.

The Dominant softly strokes at the Sub’s feathery hair, messing with it and smoothing the locks out again. After a few strokes, as he sees Louis has no intention to stop crying anytime soon, and the the panic attack from earlier on (which is what caused this whole crying mess) probably has worn the boy out, he gently tap two fingers against his head.

“Hey, Louis?”

There is no reply from Louis, so Harry tries again, his palm reaching to move up and down his curvy spine.

“ _Babyboy?_ ” He doesn’t dare speaking above a whisper, as if anything loud could shatter the fragile doll in his arms, “Will you please look up at me? Just for a tiny little bit?”

It does work out. Louis slowly raises his head from the crook of Harry’s neck, and Harry nearly gasps. Because even though Louis is brawling and his eyes are all red and puffy, his nose brighter than a tomato and a total _mess_ , he still manages to look beautiful. A very beautiful mess.

“There, there,” Harry speaks in a voice so soft that he couldn’t believe he could muster, “Do you wanna take a nap instead?”

Louis nods meekly, lowering his head again, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, bitten raw.

Harry shifts and holds Louis up. They’re currently in the bed already, so they don’t have move around a lot. He slips under the cover and slowly eases Louis’ body off so as not to startle the poor lad, then places him onto the mattress right next to himself. He cuddles back to the Sub immediately and slings an arm over his waist, pulling him close. Louis still looks heartbroken, but he’s not crying as profusely as before, so Harry takes it as a win.

The panic in his watery eyes are nearly gone, now replaced by fatigue and weariness. Harry leans over to the bedside table to retrieve a Kleenex, leaning back to gently dab at the boy’s eyes, ridding all the dried tear tracks and letting him blow his nose into it. He carelessly dumps the crumbled tissue onto the table before cupping Louis’ flushed cheeks in his palm, tilting his head up.

Louis immediately snuggles up to his Dom, touching every inch of their bodies together.

“You’re not alone anymore,” Harry tells him, “I’m here now, and I love you.”

Louis’ eyes shine again, but this time more of gratitude. He opens his mouth trying to speak, but Harry already beats him to it with a lingering peck on the lips.

“I know, baby, I know. Go to sleep now, you’ll feel better when you wake up. I’ll be there when you wake up.”

The smaller boy sniffles shakily and nods, closing his eyes. He falls into a much-needed slumber quickly, quiet snores escaping his mouth. Harry follows soon after too, but not before shedding a few tears of his own. "

 

\- life is not easy, but louis is on the slow path of recovery. of course there would be bad moments, flashbacks, fights about insecurity, fights about louis trusting harry (basically just louis freaking out and attempted to attack harry, and locking harry out of the door bc harry accidentally says sth triggering. while harry hurried to apologize, he also very seriously inform louis that in order for them to work out, louis needs to know that he could trust harry. harry will never hurt him, in any way, like blue did. louis just cannot jump him and attack him, and if he feels uncomfortable, he tells harry, and they talk about it calmly and prevent it ever happening again in the future)

\- louis also learnt to take care of himself

\- and learnt to love himself (harry did show him why he is beautiful despite all the scars and history *wink wink*), because his past does not define him, and purity comes from within, harry loves him because louis is louis, there is nothing as "damaged good" and harry made sure to kiss his scars, louis did cry a little but it was happy tears

\- i forgot it niall and zayn are engaged but if they aren't they will be engaged here

\- i originally planned a drama for Blue to attempt to break out of prison and have Louis freaked out and Harry freaked out too to like protect him and have people keep an eye on him BUT I DECIDED THIS WAS TOO SILLY AND UNSOPHISTICATED SO ABORT MISSION

\- i also originally planned a fight, which had louis running away in the cold, and he did got sick bc of it afterwards, and harry is like oh i can't punish you in this state, and after all is said and done, louis is still sick, and that's why they found out louis is preggers _(BUT THIS IDEA IS SCRAPPED)_

\- nonetheless, the first time they had sex was very erotic, vanilla, and loving

\- they totally eased into it

\- it was nothing too grand, but it was valentine's day, and harry (being the eXTRA ASS he is), decorated the room with ~candles~ and ~petals~

\- you can imagine the aftercare to be the best bdsm aftercare you've ever read

\- bc i'm a sucker for soft fluff

\- this is supposed to be the epilogue : 

" “So...Where do you wanna go, y’know, for our honeymoon?” Harry asks as they settle down on their bed, right after a shared shower, at home.

“I can’t believe we didn’t plan our honeymoon before the wedding.” Louis states, climbing under the covers into Harry’s awaiting arms.

“Truth is, we didn’t. Now where do you wanna go?” Harry asks again, a finger absentmindedly tracing over the lines of the scars on Louis’ shoulder blades which juts out on his bare back.

“Hmm,” The Sub narrows his eyes in thought, “I wanna go to Disneyland.”

“Just Disneyland?” Harry muses, “There’s a lot Disneylands all over the world. Which one?”

“Wherever. It’s close to Halloween anyway so they’ll have the best atmosphere. Maybe we could go to one that is close to a Universal Studio _that_ has a Wizarding World Theme. Harry please can we go? It’ll sure be fun!” Louis exclaims, a dreamy smile lighted up on his face.

Harry can’t help but look at his Sub, his _husband_ , with fond written all over his face. He’s sure he’s doing the frog face that Niall always remembers to tell him about. “Hmm,” Harry hums softly, the tip of his nose brushing cross Louis’ because of how close they are, “You sure? Disney World? It’s our honeymoon after all. It’s special.”

“Yes. I never believe in fairytales but I always love the vibe of it, it brings the best kind of happiness because it’s not real but it somehow is, like a dream come true, like _you_.” Louis beams, “Please, please Harry can we go? That’s what I want, please?”

Harry holds up his index to Louis’ lips, “Alright now, that’s quite enough, if more it’ll turn into begging which is not what we want, now is it?” pause, “But of course we can go to Disney World, Lou. Anything you want.”

Louis looks down sheepishly, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just reminding you, yeah?” Harry presses a kiss to Louis’ forehead to ease the mock stern in his voice just now, “But as I said, of course we could go. It’s been ages since I last went to a Disney, I’m missing it too. No roller coasters or big scare house for you though, mister.” He places a protective hand over Louis’ five-month-old bump, rubbing at it tenderly.

“Of course Sir.” Louis nods quickly, “Thank you so much.”

“Anything you want. Wherever you’ll go, there’s no place I’d rather be.”

Louis immediately flushes deeper, (in fact, he’s been blushing the whole day ever since Harry said his vow). “You sap. I love you too. But I’ve cried enough for a day,” Louis pouts up at him. “On another note, are we bringing the kids or not?”

The Dominant ponders a beat, “They’ll like Disney. But I don’t think we should. It’s an ‘us’ honeymoon afterall. I’m sure Niall and Zayn wouldn’t mind watching the kids for a few days for us. They’re practically second fathers already.”

“Great. Well, Niall could even try out first-hand how to handle a toddler.” Louis quips.

“Oh? They’re planning for kids?” Harry gapes at him, surprised.

“Oops. I’m not supposed to tell anyone.” Louis widens his eyes at the slip up, “Don’t tell Zayn, but yes, Niall is trying for a baby recently.”

Harry smiles genuinely, “Good for them. They’re been literally married all their lives. It’s about time. That’s settled then.” He then leans in for a low whisper into Louis’ ear, “And now we could have fairytale and dreamy sex in the hotel rooms, causing up _troubles_. What do you say, huh?”

Louis’ response of a shiver is already satisfying enough for Harry.

“Thank you so much, Sir. I meant not only this, but _everything_.” Louis mumbles into Harry’s chest after a while that Harry thought he was asleep.

“I know, babe. Love you so much. Now go to sleep, I see you’re getting tired.” Harry chuckles.

“Okay.” Louis turns onto his side, shifting back into Harry such that Harry is spooning him. Harry presses butterfly kisses at the back of Louis’ nape, teasing him and soothing him at the same time.

“Lou?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you asleep yet?”

“Almost, why?” Louis lets out a small yawn.

“Nothing then, go back to sleep.”

“No, tell me. What is it?” Louis mutters groggily.

Chuckles, “Nothing much. Just wanna kiss you for a bit.”

Harry immediately feels wriggling in his arms. Soon Louis is facing up at him again, eyes hiding a small glint of mischief, “You know I never turn down for a make out session.”

“Oh?” Harry hooks a leg around Louis’ waist, successfully pulling the smaller boy closer. He raises an eyebrow, his tone playful, “Really now?”

“Yes,” giggles, “Now kiss me, you fool.” "

 

\- yeah that ^ part is the day of their wedding day but they already had twins

\- SERIOUSLY the writing was so bad i can't even edit it to be readable...they were written like a whole year ago

\- i'm don't write like that anymore

\- but oh well

\- don't even know this shitty excerpt is in my drafts, pasting it here : 

" "I love you for you, not for your body, not even for your butt."

"my butt?" *amused*

"yes, even though your butt is very sexually appealing."

"blue Jones used to say that too."

"oh, does that...make you uncomfortable?"

"no because you're you, you're not him, and you're kinda my Dom now. it feel great hearing that." *deep blush*

"with me, you can even hear more nice things. but don't steer me off my topic, as I was saying, I love you, not only because of your face, but for here *points* your heart. you managed to have such a heart of gold even though you've gone through so many battles. you're so brave and I'm so proud of you. your body is merely your battle field, and you scars your triumphs." "

 

\- i'm sorry that i neglected so many side characters, they just popped up and then left with no trace, this is not a good example of good fic writing

\- this fic was supposed to end at chapter 35, chapter 23 was part i : Solace finale

\- i'd like to point out that i actually ship Ziam more than Ziall or Niam or Zayniam (in the sense that this innocent thought of "they would look good together" BUT nothing further than that, i'm so not creating fantasies again i'm so weirded out)

\- i missed a lot of ideas i had i'm sorry, feel free to add

 

 

**lastly and very importantly, i'm posting this, as a final goodbye, on this day (15/2), which actually marks the 2-year anniversary of publishing this silly fic (15/2/16 - 15/2/18)**

**P.S. Hey, I'd like to get to 1000 kudos officially :)) Anyone would be so kind to give like, 4 more? I never had a goal, but i think, it'd be really nice to see that. I'd like to rest my mind about this fic haha. I know that no one really give kudos easily but,,,just,,,I'd really really really appreciate that. THANKS A LOT :D**

(Friendly reminder that even though i do not partake in creating fantasies/headcanons about Harry and Louis anymore and generally don't participate in RPF, I'd like to say that I very much believe Larry are indeed somehow together. It's just the truth for me. And I'm happy for them and will support them. I may not be involved in this fandom (1D/Larry) as much anymore, but I know that once a directioner, always a directioner. It is an until the very end thing and this unique experience will be forever in my heart.

Over the years, I've seen people dropping out of the fandom either bc of the drama, the fans, the people, turning to kpop, or because of Zayn's zayn-ing, or the boys' hiatus. But I've always been loyal and I'm never dropping out, even though some other fandom's priority precedes this one. To be honest, I never liked the current pop music, and 1D's genre (except some songs in MITAM) never really interested me. The boys aren't exceptionally good-looking to me too (sorry my lesbian mindset is preventing me from further interest other than superficial regarding boys), except i like louis in his twink era, and zayn current look i guess. I truly only ever stayed for the boys in general. I loved the atmosphere, and I loved they used to be so genuine in the video diaries and such. I don't know about them in real life, and media can never be trusted. I only hoped they are good people irl.

But sometimes the drama is a bit too much, and i feel like a coward to be stepping down because of that. (louis did not tweet harry for me to be a weak larrie). but a more chill fandom is best for me and my sanity. so yeah, for now, i'm just observing things from the background, and chill, in general. And when the boys are back from the war (i.e. the hiatus), I'll be supporting the same way.)

**Alright this is too much rant about the fandom, i don't think much of you would care. So yeah this is me signing off :))**

**\- ALL THE FUCKING LOVE, JAYMI XO (15/2/2018)**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **NOTE :** this is very personal. but i'd also want to reveal that i wrote this fic basically for my own well-being. i don't tend to put much of myself into fics but this one is special. because in fact, louis is very much similar to me. this fic is basically an ideal of mine. you see, i am subjected to a certain amount of mental/emotional abuse at home, a situation i still have yet to get out of, so i kind of projected myself into louis a bit. i'd really love if there is a place to escape from it, no matter the cost. 
> 
> so a lot of emotions, inner-thoughts, manners, panicky moments of louis' are very very real. realer than you'd expect haha.
> 
> however, don't worry about me. i know i am strong and i know things will certainly be better. maybe one day i will be able to find my happily ever after, and i know that day will come :)
> 
> \- 17/2/2018 


End file.
